Helium
by laismnv
Summary: Edward and Bella have a son together, even though they've never been in an official relationship. Now, years later, both have moved on with their romantic lives. What happens when fate has other plans and they have to reunite for the sake of their child's life? [LOTS OF DRAMA. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. Rated M for lemons and language.]
1. Prologue

**[A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading! This is the first time I publish a story and this one holds a very special place in my heart. I gotta tell you, though, there's going to be LOTS OF DRAMA. No kidding. Lots of drama and angst and tears. The story just drew itself to me that way as I wrote it, so it'd be wrong of me to change it. If you're sensitive to that, I suggest you read it carefully. If it is your cup of tea, I hope you enjoy it. Please, send me reviews! Knowing what you guys think means a lot to me! Thank you! L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I just like playing with it.**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

[BPOV]

"For goodness' sake, Alice!" I almost screamed in frustration, "I have no problem wearing heels, but these are too much!" I leaned down to remove the most extravagant shoes I had ever seen in my life. They were pretty, but the heels were so high my feet made a near 90 degrees with the floor. Not to mention my calves were already strained from wearing them for five minutes.

"Come on! You look so hot in them, Bella! Why are you so resistant to a little sense of fashion?" she shot back, making a small pout at the end of her question. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm not resistant to fashion. I dress nicely and even you know that. Like I said, I have no problem wearing high heels, but these are just ridiculous. I won't spend two days feeling sore just because you think I should!"

Her eyes narrowed and she made a small pout. Alice hated it when I didn't do things her way. Me or anyone, for that matter.

"Funny you should mention that, you have no problem getting sore for other reasons, do you?" she giggled and I threw one of the shoes at her. Missed.

"Shut up."

Alice and I had been best friends for about a year. She owned the publishing house I worked at, and I came by it via Rosalie, my sister-in-law. I had just gotten a degree as an editor and was in desperate need of a job. That's when she told me that her brother's new girlfriend happened to run some kind of business in that area. Then, I got in contact with Alice and she hired me. What I did was basically coordinate all the publishing and review the most promising manuscripts. She trusted me a whole lot and I was thankful for that.

I was born and raised in Forks, WA, a very small town in which it rained most of the time. My brother was five years older than me and married to Rosalie Hale for six. They had a son named Riley and he was the creature I loved the most on this Earth. My parents, Charlie and Renee, still lived in Forks and had been married for more than thirty years. We got along just fine, and I must say we grew even closer when I left home to go to college. At 24, I could say my life was better than expected, and I was happy about that. I lived on my own in a small comfy apartment that gave me lots of privacy and room for myself, just like I'd always wanted, and worked just three blocks away.

Alice and Jasper's engagement party would be held on the next day, and that's why she wanted me to wear some horribly uncomfortable high heels. Being a fashion addict, Alice thought she knew best. Ok, sometimes she did know best, but not that day. I had already decided what to wear, and I'm pretty sure she would approve of it.

We were trying on shoes after the work day was finished and everybody else had already left. I wanted to see what she was going to wear the next day, but Alice was adamant she wanted to keep it a surprise. Even from me.

"So," she continued "Any hot dates for tonight?"

I sighed and stifled a yawn. Hot dates were the reason I was feeling so sleepy all the time. It's not like I had been getting much sleep at night lately.

"Nah. I went out with Paul last night already."

She looked at me from the top of her glasses with a skeptical look. Even though we'd been friends for just a year, Alice knew me very well.

"You don't sound too excited, was it bad?"

I chuckled. Bad was not exactly the word I'd use when it came to sex with Paul.

"No, it was pretty good. A long night, if you know what I mean. That's why I need my rest tonight."

She smirked knowingly.

"Yeah...right. So, is it serious? You and Paul?"

I shook my head no as I put my ballerina flats back on.

"No. I don't want to."

She rolled her green eyes and threw me a sarcastic glance.

"Why? Are you a player now? Scared of relationships? Loner? Was it a broken heart?" she asked mockingly.

"Shut up, Alice. It's not that I don't want to. I just don't think Paul's the guy for that. If I meet someone else and we hit it off, then we hit it off. But I don't think it's him, that's all." And it was true. Paul was a great guy, but I didn't see a future with him. If we went further than sex, anyone could see we were not two birds of a feather.

She nodded.

"Fair enough. In the meantime, you can enjoy great sex. You go, Bella!"

I chuckled. Alice could be so silly sometimes. That's why I loved her. Our friendship was easy, we didn't have to constantly justify ourselves for being sincere to each other, we just… were. Sometimes I felt like she was the sister I never had. We were even closer than Rosalie and I… and that's saying a lot. My sister-in-law had been there for me since I was in my angsty teenage years and through the time I was away from home.

"Okay, honey, I gotta get going. I'll see you tomorrow." I gave her a hug. Knowing Alice, she was freaking out and putting up a brave face, like she always did.

"You bet! Don't be late. And make sure to look your best. You never know if you'll meet the love of your life at my engagement party."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Yeah, it sounded just like me.

"Yeah, right. See you tomorrow."

* * *

I walked the short distance to my house and made sure to put on my most comfortable clothes once I got there. After pouring myself a glass of wine and eating mac & cheese, I just sat there all night enjoying being on my own. I had come a long way when it came to being comfortable around myself and knowing that I am enough and don't need anyone else to make me happy. Some of my previous relationships were just plain abusive, but even the good ones would never truly make me happy if I felt like I needed them in order to feel whole. I finally learned that and was willing to share my life with someone as long as it was constructive, and not just something I did to fill out a checklist. In the meantime, I could only wait to see what the future held for me.

 **[A/N: Just a small peak at Bella's life. I hope you like it!]**


	2. Chapter 1

**[A/N: Hello again! So, I decided to upload another chapter because prologue didn't give enough insight into the story... I'll be uploading the next chapter soon. Reviews are much appreciated! I hope you like it! ~L]  
**

 **DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I just like playing with the characters.**

* * *

I woke up late, of course, so I had to hurry to do everything until 6 p.m. It might look like getting ready wasn't such a big deal and wouldn't take so much of my time, but painting my nails, picking up my dress at the dry cleaning, doing my hair and makeup barely left me time to eat. I'm sure Alice would kill me. She wanted me to be there before everyone else because she'd be freaking out and in some serious need of emotional support.

So I was finally ready and very pleased by what I saw in the mirror. My long, wavy brown hair fell graciously down my back. The smokey eye was on fleek, and the dress looked better than I expected. It was dark blue, which contrasted with my pale skin just fine. And I'd bought it strapless. For some reason, it made my breasts look fuller, and I loved it.

* * *

So I drove to the Cullens' mansion. It was just outside the city, and one of the most gorgeous houses I'd ever seen. Alice's parents were ridiculously rich. Carlisle was a neurosurgeon, and a very good one at that. Esme was an architect, and Alice also had an older brother named Edward. I'd never seen him, but from what she told me, he was a lawyer and lived in Seattle.

Upon reaching the Cullens' driveway, I parked my Mini Cooper and walked up the two or three steps to their front door. The house was luxurious, built in yellow pine wood and white bricks, coated in large amounts of glass. From where I was, a side porch was visible and I guess the backyard went on forever, since there would be almost a hundred guests. Not to mention Alice had already told me she wanted to host her wedding there, too.

I rang the doorbell and Carlisle Cullen opened the door. He was a handsome man in his late fifties, which means he must have been just gorgeous by the time he and Esme first met.

"Bella!" he greeted me warmly "How are you? Come on in!"

He made way for me to go in and after greeting him back, I asked about Alice.

"She's in her room. Freaking out, of course."

I excused myself and went upstairs. When I entered Ali's old bedroom, Angela was there doing her makeup. She worked with us and was one of the sweetest girls I'd ever met.

"You little bitch!" Alice said as a greeting, "What did I tell you about being here early?"

I laughed in response, while playfully rolling my eyes at her.

"Chill, bride-to-be. I'm here now. The party hasn't started yet, so technically I am here early."

She flipped me off through the mirror and the three of us engaged in a conversation about the party and our outfits. Esme was downstairs making sure everything would be just perfect and Jasper was in the other room getting ready. He was an awesome guy. There was no one that matched Alice better. They had met while she was in Seattle visiting her brother, since he and Jas worked together.

I noticed she was tapping away at her phone, and it seemed like she was in a heated conversation.

"Don't tell me you and Jasper are having an argument over the phone right now!"

She rolled her eyes, flipping me off again. Wow. Bride-to-be was in a very bad mood.

"It's not him, stupid. It's my brother. He's still not here and if he misses out on anything tonight, I'll never forgive him!" Alice sounded a lot like a spoiled kid when she was angry. I guess deep down she had been one.

"Alice, chill the fuck out. It's not time yet!" she could be so annoying sometimes.

"He should be here already! I haven't seen him in more than a month and if he arrives only at the time of the party, I won't get a chance to talk to him!" she pouted and then I caved and smiled sympathetically. I remember college, being away from Emmett was even worse than being away from my parents. If she was as close to Edward as I was to my brother, I could empathize.

"He'll be here soon."

A few minutes later, Alice asked me and Angela to leave the room because she wanted to get dressed and only be seen at the time of the party. Go figure.

* * *

So I went downstairs and out to the backyard, where the party would be held. It was just huge. Esme was there, coordinating things and ordering people around. When she saw me, a big smile broke across her face.

"Bella!" she opened her arms to wrap me in a hug. "You look so beautiful!"

Esme was just as gorgeous as Carlisle. She had caramel colored hair and hazel eyes, and legs to die for, even in her fifties. I could only imagine what a beautiful young couple they must have been. That night, she was wearing a light purple long dress. Its fabric was so light it made her look like a goddess.

"Thank you! Everything looks so amazing!"

"Yeah, I've been working on it since last week, I hope Alice and Jasper like it!" she sounded tired, but I could tell from her bright eyes that she was delighted.

"I'm so glad my little girl is getting married! I hope she has babies soon! I wanna be a grandma and Edward is so far from that!"

I laughed. To be quite honest, I was very curious about him. From what I gathered, he was kind of a player, but he and Alice were very close, and I know for a fact she didn't approve of that behavior.

When the party started, Alice came downstairs looking absolutely stunning. Her long hair cascaded down her back in large, beautiful curls and she was wearing a light pink dress. I figure that's why she hadn't told me before. Honestly, being as fairly skinned as she was, if she'd told me the color of her dress before I saw it, I wouldn't have thought it to be a good idea, but it was just perfect. I wasn't crazy about the one shoulder thing either, but boy, was she gorgeous. Alice was elegant all the time. I had never seen her wearing hoodies, for example, but I'm sure she would nail it anyway.

Jasper was spectacular as well, wearing a blue blazer and grey pants. He looked so much like Rosalie I thought it to be weird. And he looked older than her, even though it was the other way around. She was about four years his senior.

Speaking of which, they were the first to arrive. Rosalie was wearing a fiery red dress, which matched her personality so well. My brother and Riley were right there with her, but I noticed Rose was acting weird, as if something was bothering her, so I asked Emmett.

"Is something the matter with Rose?"

He just shrugged as Riley tried to free himself from his arms to run around.

"I don't know. She's been acting weird these past couple of days. I think it's because Jasper's getting married and she's feeling old as fuck or something like that. I guess the same will happen to me when it's your turn." he grinned at me and I scoffed.

"Well, not gonna happen anytime soon."

He and Riley sat down on the seats Esme had assigned for us and I went to find Rosalie. We were close and I knew she would tell me if something was up.

Just as I was about to give up on finding her, the restroom door opened and she came out, looking flustered.

"Rose!" she looked at me and her eyes were a little watery. Something told me that was not only about Jasper getting engaged. "What's going on? Emmett told me you've been acting weird and I noticed you're… I don't know. Upset, I guess."

She shook her head and tried to tell me it was nothing, but I beat her to it.

"Don't tell me it's nothing, Mrs. Swan! I know you very well, remember how I was the first one to notice you were pregnant with Riley?"

When I said the word 'pregnant' her eyes went a little wider and then I caught on.

"Oh my God! You're pregnant, aren't you? Does Emmett know?"

She told me to shut up and pulled me by the arm to the empty kitchen.

"I don't know, okay? Maybe. I haven't taken a test yet. I mean, I didn't get my period last month, but that's not news, I'm late all the time. I've been feeling awful, though, even worse than when I was pregnant with Riley."

I nodded slowly. Excitation took over me. I was going to be an aunt again!

"Did you tell Emmett? Does he know?"

She rolled her beautiful eyes at me.

"Of course he doesn't know. All he noticed is that I'm cranky. Does your brother ever see anything? Besides, I just want to tell him when I'm a hundred percent sure. I know he wants another baby and he'll be very disappointed if it turns out to be a false alarm. So not a word, Bella, I mean it!"

I nodded vigorously and pretended to zip up my mouth. Rosalie could come off as scary sometimes, but I knew just what a sweetheart she truly was. We went back to our table, Emmett didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Hell, how could men be so stupid? I'd caught on that something was up with Rose in five minutes. They lived under the same roof and all he could come up with is that she was in a bad mood?

Through the first hour and a half of the party, I could tell Alice was upset that her brother hadn't shown up yet. She would call him every five minutes and be sent straight to voicemail. Esme and Carlisle were a little worried as well, but they were better at not letting it show than Alice.

She was sitting with us, nibbling on something and drinking her second glass of wine when a tall guy approached us and kissed her cheek from behind. She turned around to see who it was and instantly got up to greet him.

"EDWARD!" so that was her brother, then.

He spun her around in a tight hug and she was visibly amazed that he was finally there. Then, her demeanor changed and she slapped his arm.

"What did I tell you about being here EARLY? There's so much I wanted to tell you and now we won't have the time because you're LATE! And you know why? Because you live FOUR HOURS AWAY! Don't you miss me, Edward? Don't y-"

"Alice!" he said with a very deep, velvety voice "Calm down. We'll have lots of time, because I'm spending three weeks here. You'll see me so much you'll get tired and send me back to Seattle."

She laughed as they hugged once more and then she proceeded to introduce us.

"So, guys, this is Edward, my brother. Edward, this is Rosalie, she's Jas' sister, but I guess you know that, her husband, Emmett and her little son, Riley. That wonderful lady over there is Bella, my best friend and Emmett's sister."

Edward nodded in greeting to us all, and I couldn't help but notice how gorgeous that man was. He looked a lot like Carlisle with the weird hair coloring and the eyes. His shoulders were broad and he was very manly, but something about his face reminded me of Esme. I couldn't quite pick what it was. Also, that black blazer he was wearing made him very elegant. That whole family looked like they were taken straight out of a fashion editorial.

Our eyes met briefly and I could swear his gaze lasted on me for a second longer, but I dismissed that as wishful thinking. There was no way a man that good looking didn't have a girlfriend back in Seattle.

The party was great and from where I was, I had a privileged vision of the Cullens' table. Edward didn't leave his parents' side for a second, and they talked throughout most of dinner. If I said I didn't spend a lot of time noticing how charming he was, I'd be lying.

Mr and Mrs Hale, Jasper and Rosalie's parents, eventually joined us and we all had a great time, even though I couldn't help but feel a little out of place among all of those couples. Apart from the kids, I was the only single person. It's not like I cared much, but in the past I had always been the one to bring plus one with me everywhere I went. Now it just felt… odd.

After the official proposal, people started to dance and the party got a little more casual. That's when Emmett and Rose left, since Riley was already asleep and Rosalie seemed "exhausted". All the elderly couples also left, Carlisle and Esme included.

I wasn't much of a dancer, but I did enjoy having my occasional drink. That night I was feeling especially for it, so when the waiter offered me a Purple Nurple shot, I gladly drank it down and others soon followed. It was a summer night, so it didn't take me long to feel hot.

"Bella!" Angela came to where I was standing, her boyfriend Ben holding hands with her. She was clearly drunk. "Come dance with us!"

I shook my head frantically.

"No! Angela, you know I don't dance!" I didn't. Ever. Blame Charlie Swan for my incredible inability to dance or walk graciously.

"Shut up, Isabella! It's your best friend's engagement party and you're looking smoking hot in that dress. It's time you show it off, come on!"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dancefloor, and then I realized how light headed I actually was. Alcohol was starting to do its job.

Once at the dancefloor, it turned out I didn't care much about who was watching me. Jasper and Alice were putting on quite the show, since they took dancing classes together every Thursday. It was pretty fun, and when I least expected, my body moved of its own accord. My hips swayed to the music and my feet did not betray me. By the look Alice gave me, I could tell I was dancing like I'd never danced before. And I felt… good.

Stopping to catch my breath, I noticed Edward was casually watching the dancefloor while leaning on one of the tables. I already thought him to be ridiculously handsome, but alcohol turned that perception up by a thousand times. Guess he noticed I was staring, because there was a smile and he raised his glass to me, as if making a toast to something. I smiled in return and walked back to the dancefloor, no doubt my face was red as a tomato.

After a few minutes only, I lost my balance and twisted my ankle a little. I didn't fall, but almost. So I decided I'd had enough drunk embarrassment for a day. Removing my shoes, I walked out of the dance floor and crossed the distance to the house. A few moments later, I sat on their side porch. The party noise was much weaker from where I was and I took a deep breath. Alcohol effects seemed to be dying down a little and the cool breeze felt good against my hot face. Leaning back on the loveseat, I closed my eyes and just sat there for a while, unmoving.

I heard someone clearing their throat and it startled me. Edward was standing next to me and chuckled when I opened my eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." his deep, velvety voice had something about it. The way he started the conversation led me to believe he had intended to talk to me for a while now.

"It's ok. I was just…"

"Sobering up?" he offered with a smirk. I nodded. "Me too."

"You don't look drunk." My voice didn't come off as slurry, for which I was grateful.

"I've been worse." he winked at me. I still had to decide if he was conceited or just flirty.

Without saying a word, he sat next to me and then I realized how tall he was and how broad his shoulders really were. Risking a glance, I saw his chiseled jaw and how manly, but yet strangely delicate, his facial features were. Then, his green eyes turned and locked themselves in mine. A spark ignited in my guts and I knew it had nothing to do with alcohol.

"Have you been friends with Alice for long?"

I blinked once or twice before answering. We were mere inches apart now and I wasn't making an effort to hide how turned on I became by the second.

"About a year, I guess. We work together. My brother is married to Jasper's sister."

"Rosalie?" he asked with a frown.

"Yeah, do you know her?"

He shrugged.

"Must've met her a couple of times. Jasper and I went to University together and now have a Law firm." I remember Alice saying something like that.

"So you and Jasper are close friends, too?"

He nodded.

"Enough about them. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

My eyes widened in surprise. It's not like I really had an idea of what to say, so I shrugged and threw back the question at him.

"You first."

He narrowed his eyes at me and a playful smirk appeared on his beautiful face.

"Alright, then. I'm Edward, 27, a lawyer, in my free time I like swimming and playing the guitar. My sister is my favorite person in the world and I'm happily single." he winked after the 'single' part and I chuckled.

"Ok. I'm Isabella, but if you ever call me that, I won't answer, so it's Bella. I'm 24, I work at a publishing house, in my free time I like reading and doing yoga. My nephew is my favorite person ever and I'm happily single as well."

Then, he smiled and we fell silent. The tension grew considerably and I felt dampness between my legs. Hell, he even smelled good. Of course I was used to going out with good looking guys, but Edward was something else. Tailor-made for my taste.

Our faces were only mere inches from each other when he asked me:

"Are you still drunk?"

I shook my head no.

"Just a little. But my judgment is not clouded. Is yours?"

He shook his head and a light sensation came over me as our faces almost touched.

"Not at all. When I got here, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, and now I still have the same opinion."

And that was it. I was done. Closing the distance between our mouths, I kissed him hard. His mouth was soft against my own and our tongues mingled together in no time. His hands were roaming my body and within seconds, he pulled me to his lap and I was straddling him. It didn't surprise me to feel his hardening erection beneath my center. I slowly grinded against it and felt his grip on my hips tighten. Then he broke the kiss and looked straight into my eyes.

"We should move this upstairs to my old bedroom."

I just nodded and we went upstairs. When we got there, I confess I was expecting to see a teenage room and a single bed. But it looked more like a guest room, with a king size bed and light colored walls.

We didn't say much. After Edward locked the door behind him, we resumed the fierce kissing and I removed his blazer as he pulled on my hair to expose my neck. As he kissed it, I unzipped his pants to palm his very bulging erection, and well, it was just how I liked it. He spun me around firmly to unzip my dress as he kept on kissing my neck and kneading my breast. Once I was out of my dress, it was my turn to undress him. I wanted to do it slowly and sensually, but I guess none of us was interested in slow that night. Once totally naked, he pulled me into bed with him and laid me down while kissing me everywhere. I promise I had never felt so wet for someone my whole life. It wasn't that I had never experienced good sex, quite the opposite, actually. I had. Still, there was something about the way we kissed and touched. It's like we didn't need much to light a fire.

When his tongue softly touched my clit, I almost jumped out of bed. Alcohol was making an appearance again and I felt light headed, which turned out to be great as my desire only grew while he performed the best oral sex I had received in a long time. I confess I came only from that.

I was still coming out of my high when he kissed me again and extended his arm to get a condom in his nightstand. Sitting on the bed, he pulled me into his arms, making me straddle him and entering me in a very swift motion. I started moving with him as his hands went everywhere. I totally forgot for a second that I was at the Cullens' house, that it was my best friend's engagement party and that I was totally fucking her brother at that moment, and just let go.

I exchanged positions to lay underneath him and that's when I was able to feel how strong that man was. His biceps flexed as we lay on the bed and he pounded relentlessly into me. I came first and he followed soon after. We stood still for a second and then he pulled out and went into the bathroom to discard the condom we used.

When he came to bed, I was feeling tired, but good. Then, he laid next to me and said,

"Wow."

"I second that." I replied lazily. "We didn't wake your parents up, I hope."

He chuckled.

"We have thick walls. Don't worry."

I tried to get up to leave, but suddenly felt drowsy. Edward put a warm arm over me and then I fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

What seemed like a lifetime later, I opened my eyes. Edward's arm was still over my stomach and he was sleeping soundly. The house was in complete silence and the little light that filtered through the curtains told me dawn was breaking.

Since I didn't want to cause any awkwardness or have to see Alice in the morning, I decided that was the perfect time to leave. My head pounded a little, but I decided I'd had worse headaches before, so I slowly got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to wash my face and mouth. It surprised me to see my make up was pretty much intact. Bless Alice and her help to buy it.

When I got back to the bedroom, Edward was standing, looking hotter than anyone had the right to that early in the morning. He had a puzzled look on his face, but looked completely awake.

"Where are you going?"

"Home." I said as I put my dress back on. I decided the stilettos would make too much noise down the stairs, so I didn't put them on.

"Were you going to leave without telling me?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"Of course not. I don't do that, there's nothing to be ashamed of. But I did decide it was better to leave before your parents woke up. Or Alice." I replied, matter-of-factly.

He grinned.

"Are you going to hide this from her? Did we just have a secret, hot one-night stand that's going to be forever in our minds and hearts?"

I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him in the arm.

"No. But I'd rather talk to her where your mother cannot hear how her gorgeous son fucked my brains out."

His eyebrows shot up at my comment and he smirked.

"Fair enough. I'm going to be in town for the next three weeks and I'd like to see you again. How would you like that?"

I eyed him cautiously. Well, why not? I had a very good experience. Also, it was only going to last three weeks anyway, so I had nothing to lose, right?

"Sure." I shrugged. I could tell he looked somewhat puzzled by my nonchalance, but I guess he would learn that Bella Swan was nonchalant about most things in her life.

We exchanged phone numbers and he walked me to the door. With one last kiss, I entered my car and drove home. Once there, I took an aspirin and slept a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **[A/N: I hope you liked it. Please, let me know what's on your mind by reviewing! Next chapter will be almost all about Bella and Edward together.]**


	3. Chapter 2

**[A/N: Hello, people! Thank you for the reviews and the favorite/follows! In this chapter, things start to happen! I hope you like it and pleeease, review! :D ~L]**

Edward texted me later that day to invite me to a date on Monday. I said yes, of course. For some reason, I was all for seeing him again as soon as possible.

When Paul texted me to say we wouldn't be seeing each other anymore because he had fallen for someone else, it didn't bother me at all. He deserved to be happy and loved. Besides, as good as Paul was in bed, my mind still wandered to Edward and how I wanted to be with him again.

That day I read, talked to my parents on Skype and caught up with all the series I enjoyed watching. Alice had already uploaded all the pictures to Facebook and I was glad to see I looked good in them, which wasn't always the case. Rose texted me to say she had bought a urine test and it came out positive, but she had an appointment at the obgyn scheduled, just to be sure. In my heart I knew I was going to be an auntie again, though.

On Monday, I was a little late to work, which was good, because Alice shot me a knowing look as soon as I crossed the doorway, so I got busy pretty quick, giving her no chance to approach me. But of course, Alice didn't need chances. I pretended not to hear it when she opened the door to my office and slammed a coffee cup on my desk.

"Bella." she said when I didn't look away from my computer.

"Yes?" I asked, pretending to have no idea what she wanted to talk about.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm here for." I risked a peak at her and her face morphed from a frown to complete curiosity in a nanosecond. "Tell me everything!"

I scoffed.

"Yeah, like Edward hasn't told you already."

She gave me a smirk and her expression read 'gotcha'. That's when I realized Alice didn't know shit, she was just fishing for information.

"He didn't." I stated, feeling dumb as hell.

"No, he didn't, but he might just as well have, because he was all cryptic when I asked what he thought about you. If nothing happened, he would have been straightforward about it."

I shook my head in disbelief. It's not like I had a problem telling Alice. She was my best friend, after all. It just felt weird, it was her brother we were talking about. Her brother and I. Having sex, to be more specific.

"Also," she continued "I noticed when you left the dancefloor and he followed not long after, and you never returned. You wouldn't go home without saying goodbye, so I figured you never left my house."

I nodded slowly.

"We sat together at the side porch and things just… happened." my tone was almost technical.

Then, Alice stood up, looking almost frustrated.

"No! I'm not having that! I want details, Bella, details!"

I looked at her from the top of my glasses, a skeptical expression all over my face.

"Are you sure you want to know the hot details between me and your brother?"

She seemed to reconsider it for a minute and crossed her arms, a stubborn glance was thrown my way.

"Ok. Maybe I don't want details. But was it good?"

I smiled briefly and resumed typing away at my computer.

"Yeah." I said slowly. "It was amazing, actually. We're going to meet again tonight."

Ali gave a slight squeal and had an almost childlike amused expression.

"I knew it. You guys look so cute together. Maybe God will hear my prayers and bring you two closer."

I rolled my eyes at her. Alice had to stop trying to set me up with people.

"Stop that. We're just going to have good, casual time together. Edward's sweet and we get along perfectly in bed. That's it. Besides, he lives four hours away and God forbid I ever be your sister-in-law."

She stuck her tongue out at me.

"You wish you had someone as nice as me be your sister-in-law. Didn't work out so well when you dated Tyler and his sister Lauren was a total bitch to you, did it? Besides, Jasper lives in Seattle too, and we're going strong."

I sighed. Alice could be tiring sometimes. Even more so when she was right.

"I'm not saying no forever, Alice. I'm not even opposed to being in a relationship. But I just met him, and it seems like we're doing fine the way we are."

Ali shrugged and then a small smile crept over her face.

"Okay, fair enough. I still have a feeling that you guys are going to end up together, doesn't matter how long it takes."

Taking a long sip from the coffee she'd brought me, I considered the thought. Maybe. Who knew if Edward wasn't the one for me?

"Well, time will tell, right?"

* * *

Later that evening, when Alice finally let me out of the publishing house, I went home to take a shower and get ready. Edward was picking me up and I was glad that we were really getting to know each other and not just having sex. Worst case scenario, we would at least meet eventually on Jasper and Alice's future special occasions, so it would be nice if we got along.

I picked up a casual baggy knit dress that had a round neckline. I thought it looked fancy, but not overly so. In my mind, I made a note to thank Alice later. My new wardrobe was all her doing. Not that I dressed badly before meeting her, but now I felt elegant all the time, and it made me feel good about myself.

My hair hung long over my shoulders and my makeup was light. The heels complimented my looks nicely and just as I got ready, my phone rang. It was Edward.

"Hey."

"Bella." his velvety voice touched my ears and I instantly knew that night was not going to end at the restaurant. "I'm here already."

"Hey. I'll be there in a minute."

We hung up and I left the apartment. The elevator ride seemed to take a lifetime, but when I got to the front door, the sight of Edward greeted me. He was wearing black pants and a dark blue shirt. Simple, but effective. His strong arms made an appearance and his messy hair made him look like a model out of a magazine. I know it sounds clichè as hell, but that's exactly how he looked that night.

He kissed me on the cheek and led me into his black Volvo. I had been on plenty of dates in my life, but it felt so diferente to be around Edward. It's not because he was particularly handsome. It had more to do with the fact that it was… easy being with him. In no time, we were talking about random stuff in the car and laughing, as if we'd known each other for years instead of just two days. Maybe it was because I knew Alice pretty well and they were raised together, so I knew how to act around him. Yeah. I guess it made sense.

He took me to a fancy Italian restaurant. It was classic and warm, the lights were dim, making it look very cozy and intimate. No wonder many couples were having dinner there.

By Edward's suggestion, I ended up ordering the mushroom ravioli. While we waited for the food, he ordered a bottle of wine and winked at me when the waiter left. I'm glad he had the same intentions as me for the night.

"So…" he leaned on the table towards me, "Did my sister give you hell about us this morning?"

I chuckled.

"Well… just as usual. She wanted details, but then I reminded her that it was her brother we were talking about and she backed off. She was glad to know we were meeting tonight, though."

He smiled.

"Yeah. I spent all day with her yesterday. Can you imagine? We hadn't seen each other in months, and when I finally get here, all she wants to know is if her best friend and I got laid."

I smiled as I took a sip of the wine. It was wonderful. Edward had a very good taste for drinks.

"Are you guys close?"

He nodded and seemed lost in thought for a second.

"Yeah. I mean, my mom almost miscarried many times when she was pregnant with Ali. I was just four, but I remember. Her birth was awful as well. Both of them almost died. I remember Dad freaking out. My aunt Elizabeth was taking care of me at the time, but I could tell something was wrong. When they finally came home from the hospital, Alice was so tiny and quiet and my parents were so protective of her all the time, I promised I'd always take care of her. That's why we're always together. The most difficult part of living in Seattle is being away from her."

I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm close to Emmett, and thank God we live in the same city now, I don't know if I could handle being away from him nowadays. Especially with Riley in the picture." _and my new niece or nephew_ , I added mentally.

He chuckled.

"Your brother must be a saint. Being married to Rosalie can't be easy. I only met her a couple of times in person, but Jasper told me a few stories and I remember when they Skyped while we were at Uni. That girl can pick a fight."

I laughed.

"Yeah, I know. But she's a very sweet and caring person. I guess she likes looking and sounding tough so no one will mess with her. Go figure."

When Rose was in High School, her ex-boyfriend stalked and hit her for breaking up with him. I know for a fact she had always had a strong personality, but I guess the whole incident had something to do with her walls being so high up. Of course I wasn't going to tell Edward about that.

He took a sip of his wine and then changed the subject.

"You told me you grew up in another town, right? Where was it?"

"Forks. It's a tiny town in Washington where it rains constantly and the population is less than four thousand. My parents still live there, since Charlie is the Chief of Police and all. My mom used to be a kindergarten teacher before she retired. I like visiting them, but I guess I grew used to living in bigger cities. Port Angeles fits right into my life, at least for now."

He nodded and took another sip of his wine.

"I grew up here. My parents worked a lot, so Alice and I learned how to fend for ourselves. When I went to Seattle to study, it was no big deal. Alice also did great in New York. But I like Seattle. Sometimes I get lonely, but it's good."

I chuckled at the emphasis he put at the 'lonely' part. Judging by his smirk, I knew exactly what he meant.

"I don't believe you get lonely, Edward."

He laughed just as the waiter arrived with our food. He ordered a lasagna and we made a toast before eating. Edward was right, the mushroom ravioli really tasted wonderful.

"Why don't you believe me when I say I get lonely?"

Wiping my mouth with the napkin, I answered:

"I do believe it can get lonely in the true sense of the word, but not how you meant it."

He smirked because I had obviously taken the bait.

"Why not?" he insisted.

"You don't seem to be the kind of guy who spends much time alone. I'm sure you go on dates a lot."

Edward shrugged and took another bite of his lasagna. A few moments later, he replied:

"Well, I do, as a matter of fact, but not every night. I'm not very sure what Alice told you, but I'm not really a manwhore. I just go out on casual dates with girls who want casual dates as well. Is that wrong?"

He had a grin on his beautiful face and I smiled back.

"Not at all, I do the same. With guys, that is."

He filled our glasses and we made another toast.

"Maybe Alice wants us to get together so we'll settle down. As her friend you probably know she's not very fond of casual and thinks everyone should live an everlasting love."

I nodded as we laughed.

"Yeah. I mean, she doesn't give me hell about it, but I can tell she's waiting for the day I'm going to find the one and be as happy as she is with Jas."

Edward looked lost in thought for a second before replying.

"Funny you should mention that. Jasper was not for the casual dating, either. Of course he did go out with girls before Alice, but most of them turned out to become his girlfriends."

I smiled.

"I guess they are meant to be, then."

"Yeah, I didn't like most of Alice's boyfriends, but she and Jasper are a match. I'm glad they're getting married."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and then, I don't know why, I blurted out,

"I almost got married once."

His head shot up immediately and there was a look of confusion and slight amusement at what I said.

"What happened?"

I sighed and wiped my mouth again as I had just finished my meal.

"He was my high school sweetheart. We dated from sophomore to senior year and the plan was to get married straight after graduation. But he lost it when I said I wanted to go to University. James said I wasn't cut out for it and should just stick to a part time job at the local diner and be his wife and mother of his children. That's when I realized the kind of person I'd been dating, and we broke up. It was not easy and he almost became aggressive, but since my father was the Chief of Police, he gave up and moved away, I don't really know where."

Edward's green eyes squared my face for a second and he shook his head in disappointment.

"What a jerk."

"Yeah. In University I dated another guy, and he was a cheating asshole. Then I had a long relationship with Jared, and he was great."

I took a sip of my coffee. From the way Edward looked at me, he was expecting the part where I said 'but he cheated too' or something like that.

"That's it. He was great. But I decided to break up when I realized I needed him with me in order to be happy. It seemed like my life wasn't my own, always handing over my happiness to be someone else's responsibility. It took me some therapy, but eventually I found out that a relationship was not something I needed. So I graduated, focused on my career, took lots of amazing trips and I'm super happy with myself nowadays."

He smiled and it seemed genuine. That's what I liked about Edward. He was such an open book and nothing felt inappropriate between us. That was not a conversation most people would have on their first date, but I felt totally comfortable talking and listening to him.

"You are. It shows." I smiled back and he continued, "But are you completely against the idea of being in a relationship?"

"Not at all, actually. But I'd like to be in a relationship when it actually adds something good to my life, and not just because it was a consequence of something, you know? Like 'we went on two dates and it was good, so the next step is to be in a committed relationship' or 'we've been in a relationship for five years, so the next step is to get married'. I don't want it to work like that for me. It gives room for regret. Love has to be about more than that."

"I see. I agree with you, I guess. I wouldn't know, I only had two girlfriends and we broke up because life happened. Rachel, my high school girlfriend, moved away after graduation. Sarah fell in love with someone else she met at work and we broke up two years ago. But no hard feelings. I did like them both a lot, especially Sarah, but I don't think I've ever really felt that undying, unbreaking, unconditional kind of love. And I'm doing perfectly fine the way I am right now."

"I'm glad we're on the same page, then." There was an unintentional innuendo to my sentence and he caught on immediately.

"In more than one way, right?" he replied with a wink.

We ate our desserts in silence, the atmosphere was dense now because we were leaving soon and I know we'd end up in my apartment.

The waiter brought us the bill and I tried to insist that we split it, but Edward refused, so he paid and we left. There was no conversation in the car. His right hand caressed my thigh as we neared my apartment building and it impressed me how it didn't take much for him to turn me on. It seemed like just his touch got me going. We hadn't even kissed that night and I could already feel that familiar tingling between my legs.

As he parked, I was going to ask if he wanted to come in, but he was quicker to grab me by the hair and kiss me in a very heated way. I wasn't drunk, but as our tongues mingled, I could feel my muscles loosen up as the wine made its work.

"Yeah, I want to come in." he said. His velvety voice sounded much sexier in that context, so I clumsily left the car, not really caring about it and just wanting us to reach my apartment. He grabbed my hand and we rode up the elevators kissing all the way and his hands were already underneath my dress. After what seemed like a lifetime, we were finally in my bedroom and I had already taken off his shirt somewhere along the way.

"You look just sinful in this dress, but it has to come off." he said between kisses. I palmed his erection as my dress fell to the floor and he pushed me to the bed, kissing and sucking on my nipples as I tried to free him from the confines of his pants and boxer. In no time, we were both naked and he was licking my clit and pushing a finger inside me, his other hand entwined in mine as squeezed it. I swear there were very few times when I had come during oral sex, and that was one of them. I don't know what it is that Edward did differently from other guys, but it was too pleasurable. When he curled his finger inside me, I saw white for a second and squeezed his hand harder as my abdomen tightened. He didn't remove his mouth from me, on the contrary, actually, he licked me harder and I lost it for a second. As I came down from my high, I got out from underneath him and pushed him back into bed. Kneeling between his legs, I softly licked the tip of his dick and his hips shot up. I took him in my mouth, which was not a very easy task and the sounds he made as I sucked him off made me more and more turned on. I picked up my pace and his fingers entwined in my hair, leading me on. I could feel his hips moving up against my mouth and his breathing get more erratic, but then he lightly pulled my head up.

"Bella, stop!" I wasn't going to as I wanted him to come in my mouth, but the urgency in his voice got through my resolve.

"As much as I love what you're doing, I really want to be inside you. Right now."

He didn't need to ask twice. We both sat on the bed and I helped him slide a condom on his length. Then, as we faced each other, he entered me and we moved together, never slowly, never delicately. We pulled on each other's hair and he bit my neck. Probably hickeys would appear, but at that time, it didn't matter. Our breathing got more erratic as he put one of my nipples into his mouth. I could tell he was about to come and then pushed him down on the bed to be on top of him. Then I moved at my own pace and moved my hips in a circular and, apparently, effective movement, as his eyes shut forcefully and I felt his abdomen tighten underneath me. The soft twitching of his dick inside me brought me to my own orgasm. After coming down from our high, he left to get rid of the condom and I laid down on the bed.

When he came back, I don't really know what I was thinking, but said,

"You should stay tonight."

He eyed me with a quizzical look, probably pondering if that was a good idea.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." he had better accept it before I changed my mind. "I don't want you to drive at this hour. Besides, I have plans that involve us and my shower in the morning."

He smirked.

"Sounds like a plan. Do you have a spare toothbrush or something like that?"

Of course I did. I bought three of each item every time I went to the supermarket. So after we brushed our teeth, we took a shower together. There was no fooling around and it amazed me. Even though we were on a casual thing with an expiration date set to happen, Edward and I weren't all about sex. Even naked under the shower, we just talked and laughed about random stuff.

* * *

The next morning, I was ten minutes late to work because Edward and I had shower sex and I took twice the usual time to get dressed, because he wouldn't let me. Alice just threw a knowing smirk my way and let me do my job without asking questions. I guess Edward's theory was right and she wanted us to get along and be in a relationship soon. Well, I didn't know about the committed relationship part, but he and I were getting along alright.

Those three weeks were basically spent together. Of course we had a lot of sex, but we also talked a lot, watched movies and even cooked together. Regardless of what happened from then on, at least I had made a good friend.

* * *

On his last week, he went to my place on Wednesday night. I had cooked us dinner and after doing the dishes, we decided to watch one of the Harry Potter movies. Of course we didn't get through half of it before going to my bedroom. We were already naked when he looked deep into my eyes and said,

"I want to try something and it's okay if you say no. I want to... _feel_ you. Only you. I'm clean, I promise, the last time I did that was many years ago and I've been tested since then."

He didn't want to use a condom. I believed it when he said he was clean, it's not like Edward had a problem using protection. Besides, I wanted to feel him too.

"I'm on the shot. And I'm clean, too."

We resumed kissing and in no time, he entered me slowly, as if reeling in the feel of me against him with no barriers.

"You feel even better than I thought, Bella. Oh, God…"

We started moving together, and if I said I couldn't feel any difference, I'd be lying. When he came inside me, my body reacted much more abruptly. The warmth made something to my senses and my orgasm followed soon after.

No need to mention that all the other times we had sex, we didn't use a condom.

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, my doorbell rang and I opened, knowing it was Edward, since he was the only person I allowed to come up without being announced by the doorman first. He was wearing a grey t-shirt, black pants and sunglasses.

"Hey." I greeted and made way for him to come inside.

"Hey. I just came by to say goodbye. I'm driving back to Seattle today."

I smiled sincerely. Of course I'd miss him, but I guess we had bonded, at least in a friendly way, and keeping in touch wouldn't be a problem.

We hugged tightly.

"Thank you for having me." he said next to my ear.

"Thank you for coming. We'll keep in touch."

"Absolutely."

There was an awkward silence as we stared into each other's eyes. Then we kissed. Not a long, heated kiss like we were used to, but a caring one.

"Drive safely. Text me when you get home."

He smiled and nodded and then left. After he entered the elevator, I locked the door behind me and went back to doing whatever I was doing before he rang the doorbell.

* * *

The next few days rolled around and slowly my routine went back to normal. For some reason, I didn't go out on any dates and started writing my own book. It was an idea I'd held on to for a while and now finally got around to writing it.

Edward and I talked almost everyday and had really become friends, to Alice's complete disappointment. She was making preparations for her wedding, that would be held in four short months, so she was pretty much making everyone crazy, including me.

One day, almost a month after Edward left, I was alone at the publishing house catching up on some manuscripts. It was after seven already and everybody had left, including Alice. When I decided to call it a day, I opened my drawer to put the manuscripts in it and saw a purple post-it lost inside. I normally wouldn't have paid it any attention, what with all the work I had to do, but decided to pick it up. It read:

 _DON'T FORGET_

 _Depo Provera shot - July 22_

My face went hot and my breath caught in my throat. That was one week after Alice's engagement party. My shots were over a month expired and I hadn't gotten anything similar to a period in that time.

I was screwed.

* * *

 **[A/N: Thank you for reading!]**


	4. Chapter 3

**[A/N: Hi, there! First of all, thank you for the AMAZING reviews! I'm so glad you like the story so far! Just so you know, I love HEA and my favorite fictional pairing ever is Bellard, so you don't have to worry about neither of those things :P A special thanks for those who recommended my story on Cheatward's Spot on Facebook! Much love! I hope you enjoy the chapter and review!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: SM owns Twilight**

* * *

I don't know how long I sat there unmoving, doing the math in my head. The only person I had sex with after the shots expired was Edward. Besides, he was the only person I'd had unprotected sex with in years, so at least I had no doubt of who the father was. If I was pregnant, that is.

With shaking hands, I decided to put the manuscripts away and walk home, but there was no way I would be able to be by myself in that moment. I wanted to call Edward and tell him, but decided that maybe it was better if I was sure. I thought of calling Alice, but I knew she would freak out too, and I needed someone a little more rational.

 _Rosalie._

With my hands still shaking, I searched for her number and dialed. Within two rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Rose?" my voice was shaky, and being as observant as she was, I knew she would be able to tell immediately something was not right.

"What happened?" She sounded worried, and I heard Emmett asking who it was.

"I, uh… I have a situation going on and it would be lovely if we could meet. Just you and I."

I heard her telling Emmett to go away and him mumbling something.

"What is it? I hope you haven't done anything stupid or been arrested. I'm pregnant and won't go through stress." What I loved about Rose is how she always kept the mood light. I even smiled.

"I forgot my shots over a month ago… And…"

"Oh, God. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I sighed and felt hot tears prickle my eyes.

"I don't know. I realized it just a few minutes ago."

There was a second of silence and I could tell Rosalie was thinking of ways to help me.

"Okay, listen. I'll stop by your place and then we'll talk. I'll just make something up for Emmett about why you called. Unless you want me to tell him the truth?"

"NO!" I all but screamed into the phone. "Not yet. You're the first to know."

"Okay. See you soon."

We hung up and I left the publishing house still shaking. I don't even know how I made it home. Three blocks just passed by me in a blur as I walked thinking of what the hell was going to happen from then on.

* * *

Once in my apartment, I drank four cups of water at once, trying to calm my nerves down. I even poured myself a glass of wine, but just as I was about to drink it, I remembered it was probably a bad idea.

Not even ten minutes later, the doorman told me Rosalie was coming up. When she opened the door, I tried to make a comment about how cute she looked with her belly starting to show, but nothing came out. If anything, seeing her so pregnant made me even more anxious.

Saying nothing, she just handed me a small pink box. A pregnancy test. As I stood there staring at her, she finally said,

"This is the first step before anything else. It's useless to freak out based on assumptions. Of course you have to schedule an appointment with your obgyn anyway, but this is a good start."

I nodded and kept staring at her, not sure of what to do. Then, she snapped a finger at me.

"What are you waiting for? Get it done!"

"Shouldn't I take it only when I woke up? Concentrated urine or whatever?"

She dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

"Nah. If you're pregnant, your hormone levels are probably in a detectable level already, so go!"

Sighing, I went into the bathroom. Even though I was pretty nervous, I had no difficulty peeing on the stick. Then, I put the small lid on it and waited, my hands shaking twice as bad as before. The first line formed easily, which meant I had peed in the right place. Slowly but surely, a very light second pink line started to appear. I just threw the stick in the sink and opened the door.

Rose was biting her nails when I left the bathroom. I thought I was going to cry, but no tears came. I didn't even know what I was feeling, all I knew was that everything, absolutely everything had changed.

"So?" she asked with wide eyes. I just nodded. Not a single word would come out of my mouth. She covered hers with her hands in a very shocked expression, and it matched a little how I was feeling at that time.

"Is it… you know, is it Edward's?" I just nodded again. Edward was another subject entirely. How was I supposed to tell him?

I was lost in thought when Rose hugged me.

"We're pregnant at the same time! I know it's not an ideal situation, but you have us. You know that, right? And I know the Cullens will love him. Or her. Don't worry about that. We're with you."

I hugged her back and a single tear escaped my left eye. I had always imagined I would become a mother one day… but not like this.

Since there was not much to say, Rosalie left soon after and I just went straight to bed, not able to eat anything or to think about anything else.

* * *

I tried to focus on my job for the rest of the week, but of course Alice noticed something was wrong with me. I decided against telling her or Edward that I was pregnant until I saw the obgyn and received a confirmation. Not that I needed anything else to know I was pregnant. It might be psychological, but I felt different, kind of bloated. I hadn't noticed any of that until doing the urine test, or maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention.

On the day of my appointment, I told Alice I'd be late for work and went to Dr. Cope's office. I had already taken a blood pregnancy test and would get the results that day. She was Rose's doctor and very well recommended. In my first appointment, she had been very gentle and helped calm my nerves a bit.

Her office was very elegant with its green walls and expensive furniture. Melissa Cope was a woman in her mid thirties, very tall, with legs that went on forever and fiery red hair. She had a very warm smile and a soothing presence.

"So, Isabella,'' she said in a business-like manner "we have your results back. And just as we imagined, you're pregnant."

I didn't feel any kind of surprise, but it's like her confirmation made it official somehow. Now I definitely had to find a way to tell Edward soon. And my family. Oh God, what were my parents going to say?

"So," she went on, since I didn't say a word "we're now going to take a look at your baby to see exactly how far along you are and how everything is going, okay?"

I just nodded and she gave me a gown to change into. She left the room to give me some privacy and instructed me to lie on the medical table when I was done. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before she came back. She lifted my gown and covered my pubis and legs with a sheet. Spreading a cold gel across my stomach, she started moving the probe around and then saw something. She turned the screen to me and pointed to a very small white dot.

"That's your baby right there."

A very strange emotion took hold of me when I saw it. I couldn't quite describe how I felt, but it was a mix of excitement and… some weird feeling that made me cry and smile all at the same time. As much as it was scary because my life was not just about me anymore, I was excited for the very same reason. Dr. Cope smiled at me as I wiped away my tears and then looked at the screen again.

"Let's see if we can hear the heartbeat. At this stage, it's not always possible, but we can try."

A few seconds later, a loud noise filled the room. It sounded like a regular heartbeat, but faster. That did it for me. I was going to have a baby.

"Everything looks fantastic. You're about six weeks pregnant, and your due date would be sometime around April 28 and May 18. I'll give you a prescription for vitamins and we'll schedule your next appointment."

* * *

Around fifteen minutes later, I was out of Dr. Cope's office with a prescription and snapshots from the ultrasounds. When I arrived at the publishing house, Alice was waiting. Of course she knew something was up and was worried. I would be, too. So she followed me into my office and sat down on the chair in front of me.

"So… are you okay? You never see the doctor, and you've been acting pretty weird. What is it? I'm worried!"

I pondered for a second. I wanted to tell Edward first, but I still didn't know how to start the conversation. Besides, Alice was my best friend and my baby's aunt. Not to mention she'd always been there for me whenever I needed. She deserved to know.

"Okay. Don't freak out." I said as I opened the folder Dr. Cope had given me. I showed her the snapshots without saying a word. She looked at me in slight shock for a second. And then…

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled so loudly I think Angela must have heard from her office. "Is this… it… he… she… I don't know... yours?"

"It's mine… and your brother's."

I had never seen Alice be rendered speechless the entire time I knew her. She just looked at me agape in complete disbelief.

"I can't believe that!" she had such a big smile on her face, it was impossible not to be happy for my baby. Ali stood to wrap me in a tight hug.

"I'm so happy! I'm going to be an aunt! My best friend is pregnant with my brother's baby! This is so perfect!"

I laughed.

"Yeah, about that. I still haven't told him and I have no idea how to approach the subject."

She lightly bit her lip and her eyes were unsure.

"I'm not going to lie, Edward can be very immature about some things. But of course he's going to be happy. I know this is not an ideal situation, but there's no way this can be bad."

Alice's support meant the world to me. I was a lot more relaxed after we talked and decided to tell Edward that night. Or at least to come up with a way to meet him soon.

* * *

When I got home, I dialed Edward's number and he picked up right after.

"Hey, Bella." his cheerful tone made me even more anxious, if that was even possible.

"Edward. Hi." since my voice was not very calm, he noticed immediately that something was not right.

"Are you ok?" he sounded a little more concerned now. I took a deep breath and briefly thought about just blurting it out, but this was not something I wanted to tell over the phone.

"Yeah… I mean. I have a situation going on and wanted to talk to you, but not over the phone."

There was a long silence and I could tell he had probably already figured it out.

"Bella… there can only be two things you want to tell me in person and I won't be able to bear my anxiety until we meet. You're either dying or pregnant, and even though I do prefer it to be the second, this changes things a lot for us, individually and together."

No wonder he was a lawyer. I had already been cornered and was about to tell him everything I'd been holding in the whole day.

"I'm not dying."

There was another long silence where I could only hear his breathing. After what seemed like two minutes, he finally said,

"This changes things. A lot."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I mumbled.

After another heavy silence, he finally said,

"I'm driving to Port Angeles this weekend so we can talk. How does that sound?"

"Perfect." I shrugged. From that conversation I couldn't tell how he felt yet. I guess not even he could give me that answer in that moment.

After we hung up, I felt a little less anxious. Now I had to figure out how to tell everybody else. How were my parents going to react? And Emmett? The Cullens? How could I have completely forgotten about my shots? God, I felt so stupid. I still hadn't really had the opportunity to enjoy that I was going to become a mother. That thought made me sad.

The rest of the week went by reasonably fast. Now that Alice and Edward knew, I could focus on my job a little better and got a lot of work done.

* * *

On Saturday, just after lunch, Edward rang my bell. He looked very apprehensive and I noticed that so did I, even though I knew nothing could go wrong in that conversation. Right?

"Hey" he said as we hugged.

"Did you make a nice trip? Are you hungry?"

He shook his head no, his sunglasses almost fell off his face.

"I'm fine."

I wasn't used to Edward being so quiet and straightforward, but I shrugged and asked him to take a seat. He removed his sunglasses and looked straight into my eyes.

"So… did you go to the doctor's or something?" his tone was neutral. I wish I could read his mind and know what the hell he was thinking.

"Yeah." I reached out to the side table where the folder Dr. Cope gave me was and handed it to him.

He opened it carefully and went straight to the written file, not paying any attention to the ultrasound snapshots.

Edward read them time and time again, no change to his expression. Then, he closed the folder and handed it back to me.

"And you're a hundred percent sure it's mine?"

It might sound like an ordinary question, especially because we had known each other for two months and weren't in a relationship, but it made my blood boil for some reason.

"Yeah. If you read it correctly, you saw that the conception date was around the days you were here, a few days before you left. Which matches the days we didn't use protection. And I spent those days either with you or at work, so yeah, I am a hundred percent sure it's yours." my voice went up a little in the end and I realized that conversation wasn't going to be as smooth as I thought.

"I'm just asking." he said, his tone inflexible "Besides, I thought you were on birth control."

"I thought so, too, but I take a shot every six months. This time I completely forgot."

He just stared at me, his face turned hard and his eyes judging.

"How could you be so stupid?"

I couldn't believe I heard that. Something in my face must have given away how completely furious I became, because he regretted saying it instantly.

"God… I'm sorry, Bella, I d-"

"Do you think I wanted this to happen? Do you think that getting pregnant at twenty-four is what I had planned for myself? Do you think that being knocked up by someone I barely know is the highest peak of my life? You're wrong, Edward. You're just fucking wrong! I'm really sorry to disappoint you if you think so highly of yourself that, in your mind, any woman would kill to be your baby mama, but that's not the case here!"

He sat there agape just listening to me. Hormones were raging and making me emotional, but I couldn't believe he said that!

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't want it to happen like this. I'm not ready!" he tried to justify calling me a stupid liar with the fact that he wasn't ready? That made me snap.

"And you think I am! I'm not, Edward! I'm definitely not fucking ready! I'm twenty-four, I have a successful job, I travel all the time and do everything by myself and for myself! But guess what? I HAVE TO BE READY! Because I'm going to become a MOTHER! I have no choice but to be ready. And I didn't get pregnant by myself, so you'd better suck it up, too. And don't even suggest that I get an abortion or give it up for adoption, because that's not going to happen!"

Again, he just stood there, trying to form a sentence, gaping like a fish out of the water.

"I wouldn't suggest that… I would never…" his voice was starting to get on my nerves. I couldn't even stand to look at him at that moment.

"You know, you should go." I opened the door and made way for him to leave, but he didn't move.

"Bella… listen…"

"I've heard enough for a day, Edward, now leave me the fuck alone!"

With that, he walked out the door and I slammed it shut. A few tears escaped my eyes, but I wiped them off and went back to writing. Good thing about being pregnant is that I was overly creative now, especially for drama, so my book was coming along great.

* * *

A few hours later, Esme called me to say Edward had told them and that they were all happy with the news.

"Honey, never mind what he told you. I'm sure he regrets saying that. Besides, Edward always wanted to be a dad, and when the shock wears off, you'll get along well again and raise your child in harmony."

"I hope so." I sighed.

"Anyway, if you need anything, just call me, okay?"

"Thank you, Esme, I appreciate it! Bye!"

* * *

 _About four months later…_

It was Alice and Jasper's wedding day and I was freezing. Damn Alice and her stupid idea of having a winter wedding. At least the bridesmaid dresses were long sleeved. They were purple and loose fitting under the breast line, which hid my five month pregnant belly. If it weren't for my huge boobs and rounder-than-usual face, no one would really notice I was pregnant. The same couldn't be said for Rosalie, though. She was around seven months along and it was a girl named Lily. I still didn't know if I was having a girl or a boy.

Charlie and Renee where shocked when I told them, and Emmett was not very thrilled initially, but I guess they were used to the news and looking forward to meeting my baby just as much as me.

Edward came around eventually and apologized. He seemed interested in the baby's health and we split every cost of everything, including doctor's appointments and clothes, nursery furnishing, etc. We were on speaking terms and got along fine, but our friendship was not the same anymore. Alice and I, on the other hand, were closer than ever.

Esme had rented a huge wedding tent with heaters and sidewalls, so even though it was chilly outside, inside we were fairly warm. I was sitting on a bench near the aisle before the wedding. My hair hung long with beautiful large curls I spent hours doing, and my make up was a little heavier than usual to hide how tired I looked and to conceal some spots that had appeared recently.

"Hey." a familiar velvety voice made me look up from my phone. Edward stood there looking timidly at me. The last time we'd met personally had been at my most recent doctor's appointment. Okay, we were on speaking terms, but seeing him now was just weird.

"Hi." I replied back with a shy smile.

"Looking good."

"You too." and he was. Formal clothes always made him look awesome. His auburn hair was everywhere, like always, and even after all that happened, I still couldn't get over how handsome that man was.

"How are you? How's the baby?"

"We're doing fine. I have a feeling it's a boy" I smiled and he returned it.

"Do you have ideas for names?"

"A few. We could sit down and discuss options later." I said naturally. He agreed quickly and we fell into silence again.

A few minutes later, the ceremony began. I was on one side of the aisle and he was right in front of me. Eventually our eyes met. I don't know if it was hormones or if he'd just ruined it, but even though I still thought he was quite handsome, I didn't want to jump his bones as much as I'd wanted the first time I met him. I guess I was still hurt over what he said.

The wedding was amazing. Alice wore a wonderful long sleeved dress that made her look like a princess. Half of her hair was up in a beautiful bun and the other half went down her back. I'd never seen her so gorgeous, and she looked good every day.

When people began to dance, I was already feeling pretty tired and my ankles were a little swollen. Being pregnant was an amazing experience, but had its downs. That was definitely one of them.

I was about to leave when Edward approached me.

"Hey! Are you driving?"

I shook my head.

"No, I haven't in a while now. I'm calling a taxi."

His eyebrows shot up.

"At Sunday one a.m? I don't think so, Bella."

"What's the problem?"

"No problem, but I can take you."

"No, please, don't. It's okay, I'll just call a cab. Don't leave the party because of me."

"Come on, I insist." There was something in his eyes that told me he wanted to talk. So I gave in.

I typed my new address into his GPS device so that it could show us the way. I had recently rented a house and left the apartment. I was a little reluctant at first, but since I was going to have a child, I figured a bigger place would be better.

"I'm moving to Port Angeles next month." he said all of a sudden.

"What?" I must have heard wrong, but he just nodded.

"I already bought the house, and it's just two blocks away from yours. Esme and Alice are helping me decorate."

I let it sink in. Why the hell was he doing that?

"Why? What about the Law Firm with you and Jasper both living here now?"

He raised a hand and I went silent.

"Bella, I want to be near my child. Seeing him or her once a month is not enough. I want to experience fatherhood and I want to be near you guys everyday. I would never ask you to move to Seattle, so I'm moving here. You and the baby are as much a part of my life as my parents and my sister now, and it brought me a new reason not to be away anymore. As for the Law firm, since Jasper and I decided to open a new branch here, that's where I'm staying as well. We have plenty of people to take care of the Seattle branch for us. We just have to go there once a month."

I just nodded. To me, it didn't matter much where he was, but I was glad for our child. Having both parents close by is not something you take for granted.

"I know I started with the wrong foot, and I'm sorry. I want us to start again and be friends. That's what he or she needs from us."

I agreed and we sat in silence for the rest of the way. When we reached my new house, I thanked him and he left.

That night, I slept better than any other night. Now I knew that Edward was really aboard this ship and I was not alone in raising this baby. It brought huge relief to my mind and I felt even more eager for May to come.

* * *

 **[A/N: Thank you for reading! I'll see you soon!]**


	5. Chapter 4

**[A/N: Hello, people! Thank you for the lovely reviews and to everyone who put this story on their favs/alerts! I appreciate it A LOT! This chapter is shorter than usual, just to wrap things up. From the next chapter on, we'll fast forward to a few years later! I hope you enjoy and I'll see you guys on Thursday/Friday! ~L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: SM owns Twilight and I love playing with the characters.**

* * *

March rolled around and I was getting huge. My suspicions were correct and we were really having a boy, so Edward and I decided upon the name Seth. It took us hours to figure it out, but eventually he came up with it and I thought it sounded cool.

It was Saturday. The crib had just been delivered, and since I wasn't in any shape to set it up by myself, so I called Emmett and Edward to help me. Not that they knew very well what they were doing either. I could understand Edward not knowing what to do, but Emmett had two kids, for crying out loud.

Lily was just one week old. She and Rosalie stayed home, but had I known Emmett had no idea of what he was doing, I would have hired someone to set it up. Later, Rosalie told me that's what she had done both times.

Edward and I fell into an easy friendship. Whenever possible, he went to the doctor's appointments with me and we bought almost everything together. Since Seth was Esme and Carlisle's first grandson and Alice's first nephew, they gave him many presents. Even the crib was chosen by Esme, because she had designed the nursery. It was perfect. I had never thought I could be so motherly, but being pregnant changed me completely and now Seth was my number one priority in everything I did. I guess that's why I never focused on being more than friends with Edward. As much as I thought we could have worked out had things been different, I hadn't really fallen in love with him, or he with me. Besides, he really hurt me by saying what he said when I told him about the pregnancy. So my main goal was to keep a decent relationship for the sake of our child and not anything else.

Many hours later, Emmett and Edward had finally figured out how to set up the crib. It took them four YouTube videos, but they finally got it done, so Em left because Rose was going crazy taking care of Riley and Lily all by herself. Edward was just finishing the last details when my doorbell rang. I figured it was probably Alice or Esme, but when I opened the door, a petite blonde with bright blue eyes smiled timidly at me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Hi. You must be Bella. I'm Tanya Denali, Edward's… friend. I just needed to talk to him for a second, is he there?"

The way she said the word 'friend' sounded like that was not what they were. I made way for her to get in and told her where he was. Not even five minutes later, she came out, smiled at me again and left. That was the weirdest interaction I'd ever shared with anyone.

I briefly considered asking Edward about her, but figured it was better if he told me, so I just sat on the couch and pretended to read a magazine while I waited for him to leave the room.

More than fifteen minutes later, he finally came out looking a little shy.

"So… about Tanya." I looked up at him and he averted his eyes, and if he could give anything not to talk to me in that moment, I'm sure he would.

"Yes?" I closed the magazine and crossed my legs.

"I've been seeing her for a while now. She's my next door neighbor and… I don't know, we just hit it off. I didn't tell you before because there was no need, but I guess it's time now."

I just nodded.

"Is it serious?"

He looked away from my eyes and shrugged. I took that as a yes, no matter what he was saying.

"It might as well be. I don't know where this is going, but I know it's not casual, so..."

 _Burn._

"If she's going to be around my baby often, I hope she's good, Edward, or I swear to God…"

"Whoa!" he raised his hands and I shut up. "She's great, Bella. She knows the whole story and has been very supportive. I promise. You'll get the chance to meet her in the future, and I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

We fell into silence again. I wanted to say something along the lines of 'I'm happy for you', but I couldn't. I didn't want to admit it, but it bothered me a little.

"I'd better get going. We'll meet this week for your doctor's appointment, right?"

I nodded and he gave me a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

After he left, I spent hours thinking about him telling me that Tanya was not casual. I know that's what we had been, but the way he said just rubbed me off the wrong way. Sometimes I hated Edward because he could hurt me over things I wouldn't even care if other people said to me. I don't really know why. Also, even though I was not in love nor was I looking forward to a committed relationship with him, I was astounded at how easily he found someone else, even in the middle of all the chaos we were living.

The good thing about what was happening is that I had no time to dwell on those thoughts. Seth was coming, and I still had tons of baby clothes to put away and other things to set. Besides, I spent a lot of time with Rosalie and Lily. First and foremost, to learn some more of how to take care of a newborn. Second because Rose was a rock to me throughout all those times and she helped me focus on what really mattered. My parents would have done the same, but geography didn't allow us to be close all the time. Alice and the Cullens were of great help, too, but Rose was really something else.

 _Two months later…_

I had just arrived from dinner at Alice and Jasper's new house. They lived in Seattle for a few months while their house in Port Angeles wasn't ready, and boy, was it nice! Of course Esme helped them design and choose the furniture, so it looked amazing. Alice was over the moon with joy. She and Jasper cooked for us. Since Esme and Carlisle were away for the weekend, there was just me, Rose, Emmett, Riley and Lily. Then Edward showed up with Tanya. I must say she really was a sweetheart and got along just fine with everyone, including Alice. I was astonished at myself when I realized I was happy they weren't as close as Ali and I were. Of course I blamed it on my hormones, but a part of me that I would always make sure to be kept shut away, knew that it meant something else entirely. Maybe, just maybe, I was a little jealous of Tanya and Edward. But that's normal, right? I mean, we were having a baby and he had already moved on. I think Biology could explain it. I'm sure I read it somewhere.

After taking a shower, I dried myself with a towel and then noticed there was a yellowish spot on it. Looking down my legs, I saw liquid dripping. That was it. My baby had chosen the middle of the night from Saturday to Sunday to come into this world. With a sigh, I left the bathroom and chose the most comfortable outfit I saw. In no hurry, I checked my maternity bag to see if everything was already there. Once I was all set, I decided just who I wanted to take me to the hospital.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice picked up.

"Edward?"

"Bella?" he sounded instantly more alert. I guess he knew what time it was and knew there could only be one reason for me to call. "Is everything okay?"

"It is. My water just broke. I'd like you to be there with me."

I heard him moving around in a rush and something falling.

"Sure! Are you in pain? I'll be there in ten minutes!" his voice was completely awake now and I chuckled.

"Easy, Edward. I'm completely fine. Everything's ready. I'm waiting for you, okay?"

We hung up and not ten minutes later, he picked me up. His eyes were wide and there was a tall cup of coffee in the cup holder. He was way more nervous than I was.

"Are you okay?" he frowned. "You don't even look like you're in labor."

"I'm fine. The water broke but I've had no contractions yet, so you better get ready for a long night."

He just nodded and in no time we were at the hospital. They gave me a gown to change into and in that moment, I knew that everything I'd been dreaming of the past eight months would finally happen. I would not be by myself anymore, and at the same time it scared me to hell, it also made so anxious I started crying. Edward noticed.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to call someone?" he was very concerned that night and at that moment, I realized he felt the same as I did about the baby, but showed it in a different way. His eyes let it show just how anxious, emotional and excited he was. I even saw him wipe away a tear or two.

It was a very long night and an exhausting morning, and then, at 11:40 a.m on May 9th, Seth was born. I felt so tired of pushing and being in pain all night that if anyone told me I would forget all about it as soon as the doctor placed my son in my arms, I would have laughed at them, but that's exactly what happened. As soon as I held him, I cried even harder, but now from a totally foreign emotion I couldn't explain if I tried. At that moment I knew that nothing could ever make me regret anything that had happened to culminate in his existence. He was forever my son.

The doctor let Edward hold him, and the tears fell free down his face. It didn't matter now that we weren't together. It didn't matter anything he had said to me. It didn't matter if there was someone else in his life. I knew he loved our son as much as I did and that he would do a great job being his father. That's all I could ever wish for.

We were fine.

* * *

 **[A/N: Thoughts? Please review :) ]**


	6. Chapter 5

**[A/N: Well, hello, there! First of all, a huge THANK YOU for all of you who took your time to review my story, for all the follows and favs! 3 Second, just a few facts I need to set straight: Bella was never in love with Edward. They had great chemistry in the beginning and developed a nice friendship. They could have worked if Edward weren't so immature and such a dick when she told him she was pregnant. From that moment on, she didn't want anything to do with him, romantically speaking. Bella is the kind of woman who won't waste her time with immature men, so she doesn't give him the time of the day. Of course she was hurt over the fact that he moved on with his life like nothing else was happening when all she had in her mind was her baby. Of course Edward hits a sore spot. But she never tried to pursue a relationship with him nor was she expecting Prince Charming Edward to change his mind, sweep her off her feet and lead her into a castle. And yes, Edward has a lot of growing up to do. I have an EPOV planned in future chapters that will explain a lot. I hope you enjoy! ~L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight, SM does.**

* * *

Six _years later…_

"Seth! Come on, we'll be late!" I said for the fifth time that morning. When he didn't reply, I went upstairs to find him ready to go, yes, but asleep.

"Hey, honey!" I said, kneeling on the bed next to him and running a hand through his brown hair. He opened just one green eye and grinned at me.

"Mooooom. I'm tired. Can I please skip school today?"

I stood up and he sat on the bed and ran both hands through his unruly hair, much like his father did.

"No, of course not! Come on, honey, today is Friday. Aunt Alice will pick you up at school and you'll spend your weekend playing with Arthur. Your dad is probably taking you to the movies, too. It'll be fun!"

He nodded and stood up, still rubbing his eyes. I briefly wondered why he looked so tired, since he went to bed soon, but just shrugged it off. He probably just wanted to skip school to stay home. I did that a lot.

* * *

I drove him to school and noticed he already looked more alert. Once we got there, I said,

"Aunt Alice will be here to pick you up when you get out, okay? Ask her to send me a message when you get to her house. I love you, honey, have a nice weekend!"

"Love you too" he said already getting out of the car and running to school. Once inside, he greeted some friends and I left to work. I guess everything was normal, and if anything happened, school would call me.

I was now part owner of the publishing house. Ali and I were still the best of friends. She had a four year-old boy named Arthur and he was just the cutest thing ever. Just like Seth, he had the Cullens' facial features and eyes and Jasper's hair color. Ali was an amazing mother and Jasper was very calm and patient, which was good, since Arthur shared much of Alice's personality, very outgoing and inventive, but also always wanted things his way. They wanted to have another baby soon.

To my complete surprise, Edward and Tanya were still together. She had moved into his place and they had been engaged for almost three years now. He was still immature about a lot of things, but we got along fine and he was an amazing dad to Seth. I had nothing to complain about when it came to that. He was patient, attentive and never, ever let anything get between him and our son, not work, not his hobbies and definitely not his fiancée. Tanya was okay, too. She was intelligent and kind, even though I thought her to be a little harebrained to some things. I'm pretty sure she believed Edward was some kind of Prince Charming. But Seth liked her alright and she never had a problem with him, nor with me.

As for me, I got married. When Seth was two, I took him to see my parents in Forks and their new neighbors were there. Billy and Sarah Black were around my parents' age and their son was there to help them out with the moving. Jacob and I were the same age and he lived in Port Angeles, too. I thought he was quite handsome and I could tell he had an interest in me as well, so we exchanged numbers and went out on a date the following week. Jake and I just hit it off immediately and everything happened naturally. He proposed to me barely a year later and we bought a house together. We were married for two years now, and he was absolutely great with Seth. Not to mention he was very supportive of me and my career. Jake just fit into my life from the very beginning. We got married in a quiet ceremony and were pretty happy together.

* * *

"Hey, Ali." I went into her office where she was typing away at her computer. "Here's Seth's backpack with everything he needs for the weekend."

"Great!" she said, still typing away. "Arthur is dying to see him. How are things?"

"Good. Jake and I are eating out tonight."

She gave me a smirk.

"Yeah, I bet. Are you still trying for a baby?"

I sighed. We had been trying to have a baby for almost a year now, but no success.

"Yes. But nothing."

"It will happen when it's supposed to happen."

When I first started dating Jacob, I thought things would get awkward between him and Alice. Thank goodness I was wrong. Of course they weren't the best friends ever, but they were fond of each other.

At the end of the day, I drove to my house. I didn't live that close to the publishing house anymore. If anything, I lived closer to the Cullens, which I thought to be important for Seth. His grandparents loved him, and since my parents lived in another city, I thought it was good that he had the whole grandparents-grandson bonding experience. I know I missed mine a whole lot.

* * *

When I got home, Jake was already there and he was cooking something.

"Hmmm. Smells good." I hugged him from behind and leaned my head on his shoulder blades.

"Hey, love." he turned around and planted a kiss on my lips.

"I thought we were going out for dinner!"

He smiled.

"I got home from work early, so I decided to cook tonight. I hope you like it."

Of course I was going to like it. Jake was an awesome cook and he could easily be a chef if he wanted to, but he was a journalist, and a good one at that, too.

"Now you go upstairs and take a shower, put on some comfortable clothes and I'll tell you when dinner is ready."

I took the time to detangle my hair as I washed it. I had had a tense week with loads of work to do and publishing my book on the side. It was finally ready after years and years in the making. I just hoped people would like it.

From now on, I wanted to focus on my family. I wanted to have a baby with Jake and go on lots of trips with the three of them. I'm sure everything would turn out great.

Or so I thought.

* * *

The weekend went by smoothly. Jake and I went out to a park and visited Em and Rose. Lily and Riley were getting so big I could barely believe it. Edward sent me pictures of Seth at the movies and then at an amusement park with Arthur. He seemed to be having a blast and I was so happy to see my baby enjoying his time with his father.

On Sunday evening, Seth came home looking exhausted. His eyes were droopy and he seemed a little feverish to me.

"Is he okay?" I asked Edward.

"He was fine yesterday. I think he might be coming down with something. He was like that on Friday evening, too, and then he got better. My dad said he had a fever this morning, but it's gone now. I think it's just a cold."

I eyed him suspiciously.

"Did he get his clothes wet?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"No, Bella. And even if he had, I know how to change my son into dry clothes before he catches a cold." his tone was not playful and I could tell I hit a sore spot. Edward hated it when I implied that he wasn't careful enough. Of course he never gave me any reason to believe that, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Right. Thank you. He sure looks like he had a blast."

He smiled.

"He did. Well, I should get going."

With that, he left and I went upstairs to help Seth take a shower and change into pajamas. I'm sure he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I kissed him goodnight and went to sleep myself. Jake was reading a book and asked me if everything was okay.

"Yeah. Seth was exhausted, so I was tucking him in."

I kissed him on the cheek and fell asleep minutes later.

The next morning, I woke up and Jake was at the shower, so I went to wake Seth up. He looked like he was in very deep sleep, so it took me a long time to wake him.

"Good morning, honey. It's time!"

"Mom…" his voice didn't sound too good "I'm not feeling very well." this time I knew he wasn't faking it. His voice was very different from the Friday before.

"What is it, baby?"

He shrugged and I put my hand on his forehead. It felt hotter than normal, he was definitely running a fever, so I decided to change his pajamas, which were very sweaty.

When I removed his shirt, I saw a big bruise on his back. I instantly saw red. He had injured himself and Edward told me nothing!

Fuming, I changed him into another set of pajamas and gave him fever medicine. He fell asleep not too long after and I closed the door behind me on my way out.

Jake was about to leave, so I told him that Seth was sick and that I was not going to work that day.

"Well, call me if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded and he gave me a light peck on the lips before leaving. I texted Alice to let her know I wasn't going to work and then dialed Edward's number. I didn't care if he was in the middle of the most important meeting on Earth, he was going to hear me out!

"Hello?"

"Why the hell you never told me Seth injured himself?" I was so angry at him I felt my hands shaking.

"What in the name of God are you talking about, Bella?" his voice seemed genuinely confused, but it just angered me more.

"There's a huge bruise on his back! Either he fell from somewhere or something else happened!"

There was silence in the line for a second and then he said,

"Bella, I swear I have no idea what you're talking about. I changed him yesterday before taking him to your place and there was nothing there. Unless I missed it."

"It's a huge bruise, you can't miss it." I spat.

"So no, it wasn't there last night. I figure you must have given him a shower yourself before putting him to bed, was it there?"

I stopped for a second. It wasn't.

"That's what I thought." he said as a matter of fact.

"Are you sure you had your eyes on him the whole time? Even when he was with your fiancée?"

He chuckled.

"If you're trying to imply that Tanya did anything to hurt him, I'm very satisfied to tell you that no, she didn't and that yes, I keep my eyes on him all the time we're together, even though I trust her with my life. You've known her for years, for goodness' sake. Also, I never did a thing wrong to deserve you being so untrusting when it comes to our son!"

I was silent for a second. Taking a deep breath, I said as calmly as I could,

"He's running a fever and there's this bruise on his back. He also seems way too tired since last week. I don't think it's a cold."

"Do you want me to talk to my Dad? Maybe he knows another good doctor."

"I'll take him to his pediatrician later. But I'll let you know."

"Okay."

Without another word, we hung up. I sighed. Most probably there was nothing wrong with Seth and I was just overreacting. But why did I have this nagging feeling that something was very wrong?

 **[A/N: Please, review! I'll see you soon! :)]**


	7. Chapter 6

**[A/N: Well, hello there! First of all, I'd like to say I'm deeply humbled by your amazing reviews. THANK YOU to all of you who take the time to read, comment on, favorite and/or follow my story! I'm sorry I didn't post any updates this last weekend, but this chapter is LONG and it was very demanding for me, both physically and emotionally, to write. I hope you like it! Now we begin our journey through some serious drama. Enjoy and review! ~L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight**

* * *

Chapter 6

I spent those few hours very worried about Seth. When he woke up, the fever was low and he seemed a little better. I almost thought that maybe there was no reason to take him to the doctor, but the bruise was still there. Even worse, he didn't even feel it, which made me think it was not trauma related.

So I gave him a shower and tried to have him eat his lunch, but half the food was left untouched. I decided that I had to take him to the doctor. Trying not to let him realize that I was pretty much freaking out, I put on some music he enjoyed listening to as I drove to Dr. Davis' office.

Kevin Davis was a slender figure in his late thirties. He had been Seth's physician almost since his birth. I liked him alright, even though I had never needed his services for anything more serious than an ear infection.

"Hey, there, little guy! How are you doing today?" he said as he kneeled next to Seth and ruffled his hair playfully.

"I'm good." Seth shrugged. His voice didn't sound so good and I felt at loss of what to do for my kid. This feeling is absolutely terrifying.

"Alright, then." he picked Seth up and sat him on the medical table. "So, Mrs. Black, what brings you to my office today?"

"Well, you see… Seth's been more tired than usual lately and has had this on and off fever since last week. What really got me worried is that he's got this weird looking bruise on his back. There was no trauma. He can't even feel it."

Dr. Davis nodded and proceeded to examine Seth thoroughly. He lifted his shirt and took a look at the bruise. He applied some pressure on it and Seth said it didn't hurt. I couldn't tell if it was bad just by Kevin's facial expression, and it frustrated me to no end.

"Alrighty!" he put Seth on the floor and gave him stickers. "You were a good guy so you get to take these awesome stickers with you!"

"Thank you!" Seth grinned and looked exactly like Edward for a second. They looked alike and behaved very much alike in a lot of ways.

Dr. Davis started typing away at his computer and I just sat there waiting for him to finish and talk to me. I hoped with all my heart that he would say it was nothing and I was overreacting. Hell, I even hoped he would send us home with an antibiotic prescription. Anything. But it didn't look like that was the case.

When he finally finished typing, he started asking me several questions like how many days ago had the bruise appeared, if anything made his symptons better or worse, if he took any medicine, etc. After I was done answering everything he needed to know, he crossed his fingers on top of the table and looked at me.

"Mrs. Black, I can't tell you what's wrong just by a simple examination. I'm referring you to another doctor so she can take a look. It could be a number of things, really, but we need to cover all the possibilities, okay?"

I nodded weakly. He held out a card for me and I took it. Written on it was "Claire Smithers, M.D - Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist". My vision went dark. It really was worse than I thought. I gripped the side of the table tightly to try and hold on to something that was real, because that couldn't be.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to get some water?" he asked and Seth turned his head up at me. I had to pretend everything was okay. For him. I couldn't freak out in front of my son, even if it really was the worst case scenario ever.

I shook my head at Dr. Davis, but by the way he was looking at me, I could tell he knew what was on my mind.

"Mrs. Black, it really could be several things. I'm just being safe, okay? Let's take a look at the worst possibilities so hopefully we can discard them, and then go from there. Even if it turns out to be that bad, there's plenty that can be done. Not everything is a…" he looked at Seth then back at me "Sentence."

I knew he meant that it was not a death sentence, and I was grateful that he was so understanding and did not say that in front of Seth. I stood up.

"Thank you, Dr. Davis. I hope I can see you in the near future and bring you good news."

"So do I. Good luck. Bye, Seth!"

Seth waved at him and on our way out, I could tell he hadn't paid much attention to what the doctor was saying, for which I was grateful. He didn't seem distressed at all, and I didn't want him to.

When we got home, I let him play with his toys and just be. He didn't seem so tired anymore and I let myself believe for a second that I wasn't scared of what was going to happen from then on. I had to talk to Edward, but decided it was better to call him by the end of the day and let him know.

Just as I was thinking about it, Ali called.

"Hey!" I said into the phone.

"Hey, Bella! How's Seth? Is he doing better?"

I sighed and had to bite my lip to prevent tears from falling.

"Oh, God. Is it bad?" she sounded so alarmed and it finally made my tears fall. I got up to get out of Seth's vision and hearing field.

"We don't know yet. He's tired, he's had this strange fever on and off for days now… and this bruise on his back. I'm scared, Ali!"

She was silent. I could hear her breathing and I'm pretty sure she was crying, too. Alice loved Seth as her own baby.

"What did the doctor say?"

"He referred me to a pediatric oncologist. I'm so scared! I don't know what I'm going to do if… if anything happens, Ali!"

"Hey, now. I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But we can't go there yet, okay? We're not sure of anything. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Even if it is something bad, we're going to get through this. It will be alright."

I bit back a sob. This had to be a fucking nightmare.

"Thank you, Ali. I'll let you know, okay?"

"Please do. If you need anything, please call me. I don't care what time it is. Just call me. And if you need to miss work tomorrow, the whole week, the whole month... it's okay, too. I'll handle it. Okay? I love you, Bells. You're my best friend and my nephew's mother. I'm always here for you."

Tears fell free down my face now.

"Thank you, Ali. I love you too. You're one of the most important people in my life."

"We're family. That's what we're here for."

After hanging up with Alice, I called Dr. Smithers and made an appointment for the following day. Then I called Seth's school to let them know he was going to miss classes, but didn't explain the reasons much further.

I wanted to talk to my mother. I wanted to talk to Carlisle, but didn't want to rush things. I needed to calm myself down and wait for things to happen. The bad feeling inside me just wouldn't go away. Call it a gut feeling or motherly intuition. I just knew there was a long way ahead of me and my son.

* * *

I had just finished cooking dinner when Jake arrived.

"Hey, baby!" he kissed my cheek and I tried to smile, but it didn't come out. "Is Seth doing better? He looks fine."

The tears threatened to fill my eyes again, but I was able to hold them back.

"I took him to see Dr. Davis. He couldn't tell just by examining him what it is, so he referred me to another doctor. I'm going to see her tomorrow."

Jake looked confused for a second.

"Another pediatrician?"

I shook my head.

"She's a pediatric hematologist and oncologist."

I could tell the news were sinking in his head. He looked confused and a little worried.

"Oncologist as in cancer?"

I cringed at the use of that word, but nodded anyway.

"Wow." he seemed at loss for words "I'm sorry. But there is no diagnosis yet, right?"

I nodded. He hugged me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine, Bells. Hopefully it's nothing, okay? And if it is, we'll figure it out."

Everybody kept telling me that, but I hoped I didn't have to figure out anything. I just wanted my kid to be healthy. I didn't want him to go through pain and medication and suffering. I didn't know if I had the strength in me to see my child ill. I didn't know what I would do if he really turned out to be sick with what I thought he was.

Jake couldn't possibly understand how I felt. Of course he cared a lot about Seth, and he was an amazing stepdad. But maybe not having any children of his own was something that didn't allow him to fully understand why I was so desperate. I know not everybody was like that, but Jacob was. He only wrapped his head around something if it happened to him directly. So I knew he was worried, but not as a dad.

We had dinner together and Jake was right, Seth did seem to be doing better. He even ate more than at lunch. So after that, I asked him to take a shower and tucked him in.

* * *

I sat on the bed next to him and ran my hand through his brown hair. And then he said,

"Mom, I'm feeling better. Am I going to school tomorrow? I miss my friends. And I want to show them the new dinosaur book Dad gave me."

That broke my heart. I tried as hard as I had never tried in my life to hold back the tears. I wished with all my heart he wasn't sick. I didn't even want an explanation for the fever and the bruise anymore, I just wanted him to be healthy.

"We need to make a trip to the doctor's office tomorrow, honey. She will take a look at you."

"Again? Is it because of my bruise? Why don't you just put some ointment on it? It will be gone soon."

I smiled. He was so innocent.

"This is different, honey. I really want a doctor to take a look at it, okay?"

He looked down and shrugged, looking so much like Edward they could have been brothers.

"If you say so."

I gave him a goodnight kiss and smoothed his hair.

"Good night, honey. Sleep tight. I love you."

"Love you too, Mommy."

I closed the door behind me and heard the TV downstairs. Jake was probably watching some sports program, so I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Edward's number.

"Hello?" a female voice picked up and I rolled my eyes. I had nothing against Tanya, but really, why did she have to pick up his phone? What on Earth would Edward and I talk about if not Seth?

"Tanya, is Edward there? I need to talk to him." I tried to keep my tone business-like.

"Yeah, he is. Is everything okay?" she might have been genuinely worried, but at that time, I just wasn't having any of that.

"I just need to talk to him."

"Oh-kay… Hang on a sec." she sounded a little annoyed and maybe I had interrupted something, but honestly, their sexual intercourse could wait.

"Bella?" his voice finally came to the phone.

"Edward. Hey. I'm sorry to interrupt whatever it is you guys were doing, but I had to talk to you about the doctor's appointment today."

"What? You didn't interrupt anything, I was just watching TV." I heard a door close "So, how was it? What did he say?"

Talking to Edward made everything seem so real. Even worse than before. Now I knew I really was living a nightmare. Tears sprang to my eyes and I took a deep breath.

"He couldn't tell just by examining him, but he referred me to another doctor. Her name is Claire Smithers. She's a pediatric hematologist and oncologist."

He was silent for a while. If I knew Edward, the same things that went through my mind at Dr. Davis' office were going through his mind now.

"Uh…" his voice came out broken and he cleared his throat before continuing. He was holding back tears. "My dad knows her. She's good. When are you going to see her?"

"Tomorrow."

"Do you want me to come with you? I can."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Um… It's not that I don't want you to go. I appreciate it. But you coming with us would make it too… real, you know? I'm in still in denial, Edward. I want to pretend like this is just another trip to the doctor and nothing's coming out of it."

I heard him sigh.

"I get that. I understand. But please, Bella, do call me when you leave her office, okay?"

"Okay."

We were silent and then he said,

"I'm scared, Bella. I don't think this is good."

Even though it was hard on me to hear that, I was a little relieved that Edward understood what I was feeling.

"I'm scared, too."

At that moment, we were just the parents of a beautiful little boy who had a potentially bad disease. We were just two people that were scared shitless of what was going to happen with their child. We didn't want to hear promises at that moment, we just wanted someone to acknowledge that we were scared and that we had reason to. At that moment, that's what we were to each other. And I was able to feel a little calmer, because at the other end of the line, someone could relate to what I was feeling.

Then, he sighed.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll be waiting for your call tomorrow."

"Sure. Bye."

We hung up and I went to the bathroom to take a shower. I cried a lot. My stomach hurt from anxiety and it was bad. I prayed, I promised, I wondered why the hell this was happening to us. A small part of me still hoped it was nothing, and I gripped tightly to it. When I got out of the shower, I dressed in my pajamas and Jake came into the room. He sat down next to me and gave me a hug.

"Love, I know I can't really understand what you're going through, but I want you to know that I'm here, okay? Every step of the way. If the news tomorrow are good or bad, either way I'm here. I love you."

He held me tighter and I wept into his shoulder until I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, my eyes were so swollen it took me a lot of ice and makeup to make them look a little less puffy. I didn't want Seth to see me like that. Jake made us breakfast and I was grateful. He wasn't one to talk a lot, but these little things showed me that he cared.

"I'm leaving for work." we hugged tightly and he kissed me lightly on the lips "It will be fine. Send me news, okay? Whatever it is."

"Thank you, baby." I smiled. He left to the garage and I heard his car starting. I went upstairs to wake Seth up. He looked so peaceful I just wanted to lay there with him and forget about everything else. The good thing is that he still had no idea of the hell that was going through my head. If it really was bad, I would need to get my shit together and be strong for him.

"Seth, honey? Wake up. We have to go."

He rubbed his eyes and dragged his feet to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I laid out clothes for him to change into and went downstairs. He didn't look bad that morning and my hopes went up a little. Until I knew the diagnosis, my hope would always be there. And afterwards. And always.

He came downstairs about fifteen minutes later, looking sleepy and adorable. He ate breakfast and then we left. I put on some music again, because that morning I was freaking out worse before. Luckily for me, Seth fell asleep again, so he didn't notice I shed a few tears on our way. Her office was at the same hospital Carlisle worked at, which made me a little calmer for some reason, but not so much.

When we got there, Dr. Smithers saw us instantly. She was short and had a round, lively face that was accentuated by her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail.

"Hey there, Seth! My name's Claire and I'll be your doctor today! I know children usually don't like coming to my office, but I promise we'll be good friends, okay?"

Seth nodded timidly at her and I handed her his records and the referral letter Dr. Davis had written.

"So Kevin sent you to me, right? Here it says Seth has been feeling more tired than usual for no apparent reason, has had on and off fever for a few days now and has a bruise on his back which is not related to trauma. Is that correct?"

I nodded.

"All right, then. Seth, can you come over here so I can take a look at you?"

Seth walked towards her and climbed the steps to the medical bed. She made a thorough examination, eyes, ears, throat, etc. Then, she had a good look at the bruise. Then she nodded and gave him a coloring book and a few crayons. Her expression was serious and she asked me a bunch of questions, like when did it start, how severe his symptoms were, if anything made it better or worse and I told her everything she needed to know.

"Okay, Mrs. Black. You were referred to me, which means Dr. Davis already had his suspicions, and I guess they match mine. We need to run some tests to be sure of what we're dealing with. We'll start with a simple blood screening. It takes about two hours for the results to get ready, so you can eat something or whatever and then come back here, okay?"

She wrote me a slip of paper and told me to go to the second floor where the nurses would draw his blood. Thank goodness Seth was such a calm kid. I'm sure he was a little scared, but he was a brave little boy.

Right after we got out of the elevator, I saw someone I knew very well wearing a labcoat and having a cup of coffee. Seth let go of my hand and wrapped both his arms around the man.

"Grandpa!" he said. Carlisle smiled and hugged him.

"Hey, there, young man! What are you doing here?"

"We're here to draw some blood." I replied. "Hi, Carlisle, how are you?"

"I'm good! Are you here to see a doctor?"

I nodded.

"Someone I know?" he had a worried face now and I didn't really want to tell him, because I know Carlisle would be heartbroken, but there was no hiding it now.

"Dr. Claire Smithers."

His face fell. He looked down at Seth who was flipping through the pages of his coloring book, oblivious to what we were talking.

"God, Bella… I don't even… Since when? Is it because of that fever Edward told me about?"

I just nodded, pressing my lips against each other, trying to hold back the tears.

"She's suspecting…" he trailed off, none of us able to say the actual word.

We were silent for a while and then he said,

"He has never had a blood test done, right?"

"No. First time."

He nodded.

"I'll come with you."

The three of us went to a nurse's station and I handed her the slip of paper Dr. Smithers had given me. A few minutes later, a young nurse called his name and so we went, Carlisle right there with us.

"Hi, Olivia." he greeted her. "Seth's my grandson. Do you mind if I stay with him? It's the first time he draws blood."

She smiled.

"Naw, it's okay. He's so cute, Doc! Is he Edward's or Alice's?"

"Edward's. He reminds me a lot of him when he was a kid."

As she got everything set up, Carlisle started to explain what was about to happen.

"Seth, Dr. Smithers needs to take a look at your blood. Remember when I told you that there are many small thingies in our blood and they can tell us what's happening inside our bodies?" Seth nodded. "So, Dr. Smithers needs to know what they're saying. So Olivia will have a special butterfly suck out a little of your blood. Okay?"

Seth smiled and nodded again. The whole process was very quick and he didn't complain. I was so proud of my baby and his courage. I had a feeling that was not going to be the last time he would have to deal with needles and stuff like that.

Carlisle spent those two hours with us and showed us around the hospital, carefully avoiding the pediatric ward. Upon getting the results, we went back to Dr. Smithers' office. With a business-like expression, she opened the envelope and read its contents. Then, she crossed her fingers on top of the table.

"Mrs. Black, we found some cells that were supposed to be in his bone marrow circulating in his blood. Unfortunately, this makes me think of leukemia. I know this is not the news you needed to hear and I understand you're upset. I'll need to perform a bone marrow biopsy. We can schedule it for next week so you have time to think it through."

I knew she would give anything not to be her to deliver me those news. I had been waiting for that to be said, in a bad way, of course. My hands started to shake and my vision blurred. The last thing I heard was her voice calling Carlisle to help her. Then I blacked out.

* * *

I woke up after what felt like hours. A pair of green eyes greeted me and I briefly wondered where I was.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Edward's velvety voice talked to me and I felt his long fingers brush a strand of hair away from my face. I realized that I was lying on a hospital bed.

"Yeah." I tried to shift to a sitting position and my head went light for a second.

"Easy." he steadied me. Then I remembered what made me pass out and tears came to my eyes instantly.

"Where's Seth?" I asked.

"He and my dad are right outside. We arranged to have lunch together and I had just arrived in his office when Dr. Smithers called him and said you had passed out. Seth was a little scared, but everything's fine now."

I tried to wipe away my tears, but they kept coming down. Then, Edward said,

"She told me everything, Bella."

I took a good look at his face and his eyes filled with tears as well. Then, I got up and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back and we both just cried. I don't even know how long we stood there holding each other before I realized I had never seen Edward crying. At that moment, we were just Seth's parents. He was not Tanya's fiancé and I was not Jake's wife. We weren't even each other's exes or whatever. We were only the parents of a child who had just been diagnosed with leukemia. We didn't even know how bad it was, just that it was bad. I had never, ever, in my entire life imagined that Edward and I would go through that together. The only thing on my mind was how were we going to be strong enough to motivate our kid through everything he would endure.

 **[A/N: That's it. This chapter and the next one were very tough to write. I'll try to update soon. See ya!]**


	8. Chapter 7

**[A/N: Hey, guys! Thank you for all your reviews and to everyone who's reading my story! I'm having a blast writing and publishing it! This chapter was tough to write. Also, I made my research on leukemia to write this, but I'd like to remind you that this is a work of fiction and I used a little poetic license here, so some symptoms and consequences were somewhat changed for the sake of the narrative. This chapter and the next ones hit a very sensitive spot. If leukemia, cancer or sick children hit close to home to you or disturb you in any way, I advise you to read carefully. Thank you! ~L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, but I love playing with the characters.**

* * *

Edward and I let go of each other and he took me and Seth to have lunch with Carlisle and him. I didn't want to eat, but had to. My son was still worried about me, and I could tell he knew he was sick, but not how bad. Carlisle would have to help me prepare him for everything that would happen from then on.

I don't even know how I was able to drive back home without bursting into tears. Seth asked me no questions and I was glad he didn't, because I was in no shape to answer them. Not that day, at least. Alice called, but I didn't answer. I just hoped she would understand that I had to take my time and let it sink in. I would have to be strong for my son and for myself, but right then, I still had to process it all.

When Jake arrived, he already knew I didn't have good news. I told him that maybe Seth was listening and that we would talk later. Dinner was uneventful. Seth looked a little better and it was almost easy to pretend like nothing was happening.

* * *

While he was at the shower, I made his bed and a few tears came down my face. I had been crying so much since our first trip to the doctor, it was ridiculous. I quickly wiped them away when I heard Seth's steps. He got dressed in his pajamas and got into bed. I sat down next to him and he smiled at me.

"Can I go to school tomorrow? I miss my friends."

It was impossible to hold back tears, but I quickly wiped them away and held his small hand in mine.

"Honey, I know you do. But we need to be sure of what's wrong and how to make you all better. I want you to go to school, too, but we have to be careful. Okay?"

He sighed and squeezed my hand back.

"Okay."

Seth was so understanding and cute and innocent… it brought me to tears again, and this time I couldn't wipe them, because they were faster than my reflexes.

"It's going to be okay, Mommy. Stop crying." he sat on the bed and both his hands wiped my face. We exchanged a tight hug. I didn't care if he didn't understand the gravity of the situation, I'd never been so scared my entire life.

"Thank you, baby. I just don't like it when you're sick, that's all."

He nodded.

"And I don't like seeing you sad."

I kissed him on the forehead and stood up from the bed.

"We'll be fine. I love you, honey. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mom!"

I left his room closing the door behind me. Jake was waiting for me sitting on our bed. I joined him and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Tell me all about it." his soft voice said in my ear.

"Um… the doctor is pretty sure it's leukemia. They had his blood tested and…" I shrugged "A biopsy will be performed on Friday to know the type and to decide the treatment course."

I didn't even feel my eyes anymore. Tears just streamed down my face all the time without me noticing.

"I'm really sorry about that, love. I don't really know what to say other than I'll be there with you both every step of the way." his hands caressed mine and I just nodded. I was sure that by the end of that week I'd lose speech.

"Have you talked to Edward already?" Jake and Edward weren't friends, but they got along. A little like Tanya and I.

"Yeah. He's heartbroken."

"I can imagine."

He just held me for a while and I sat back and enjoyed. Jacob was supportive in his own manner, and in that moment, I was grateful he wasn't one to talk a lot. I still hadn't even told Emmett or my parents. They were probably expecting me to say I was finally having another baby, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. That night, I told Jake that we should stop trying to get pregnant, at least until Seth got better. He was a little disappointed, but understood my point and we came to an agreement.

* * *

Friday came around and Edward gave us a ride to the hospital. He was going to be with us for the biopsy and I had never been so glad for his presence before. It made things easier for me and for our child both.

Seth had just finished his breakfast when Edward rang the doorbell. I opened the door and he was there, looking like he hadn't slept in weeks. I guess I didn't look much better, either.

"Hey." he greeted.

"Hey. Come on in."

Just as he set foot inside my house, Seth came running the short distance to where he was.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, buddy!" Edward hugged him and they sat next to each other on my couch. Seth had recently developed a weird cough and to me, anything that I might have thought to be ordinary before was now a red alert. I didn't wish what we were going through on anyone.

"Why do I have to see the doctor again? I'm tired of hospitals all the time." Edward and I exchanged a glance and I turned my back to them to wipe my tears. Then I heard him tell Seth:

"We have to see exactly what's going on, buddy. The doctors are going to see what's happening with your blood-making cells."

"All of this over a stupid bruise? What's so special about it?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. I know you hate going to hospitals, I hate them too. But I need you to trust us. Okay?"

"Okay."

The car ride was alright. Seth fell asleep on the backseat and Edward startled me by grabbing my hand all of a sudden.

"How have you been?" I just shrugged.

"I don't know, really. I've cried a lot these last few days, I haven't been to work… this week was the worst of my life, I'm pretty sure of that. How have you been?"

He sighed.

"Um… I don't know. I haven't done much either. There's a lot on my mind. How's… how's Jacob helping you deal with it?"

"He's been… good. You know, he's not one to talk a lot, but he's supportive in his own way, I guess."

Edward nodded and looked ahead.

"How's Tanya?"

"Oh, she's pretty worried. But she's been of great help."

We remained in silence the rest of the way. Dr. Smithers was there when we arrived and she briefly explained the procedure to us.

"We're going to draw out some bone marrow from his hip. We usually just give local anesthesia to adult patients, but since he's a child, I thought it would be better if we fully sedated him. The procedure sounds scary, but it's simple. One of you can be there until we put him under, if you'd like."

Just as she said that, my eyes filled with tears again, and I felt Edward's arm on my shoulder.

"It's okay, I'll go."

I wanted to say no, that I was fine and would go, but I couldn't, so I let him. It took Edward almost half an hour to come back.

"What happened?"

"Seth was a little scared. It took me a while to convince him that it was okay and that we will be there when he wakes up."

This had to be hell. I couldn't take seeing him like that. What was I going to do when he had to stay at the hospital most of the time? What would I do if…

Those thoughts kept racing in my head nonstop. I didn't sleep anymore, and when I did, I always had nightmares. Jake didn't even wake up anymore, he had gotten used to them. In the middle of the night I'd often check in on Seth to see if he was still breathing. There wasn't any peace in my life anymore.

Dr. Smithers came out after a while and gave me all the aftercare instructions. Seth would have to take it easy for a few days and he could probably feel a little sore. We were allowed to see him, but he was still asleep. The few times he was awake, nothing coherent left his mouth. No need to say that broke my heart even worse than before.

That weekend was weird. Since Seth couldn't move around a lot, Edward went there to see him. There was no animosity, of course, it was just… strange. My son was in a very bad mood because he couldn't play like he wanted to and missed his friends from school. I promised him that once he got better, I would arrange a playdate with his cousins and whoever else he wanted.

* * *

On Monday, Edward and I went to the hospital to get the biopsy results. Alice offered to watch Seth in my house and take Arthur to play with him a little, try to cheer him up, which I gladly accepted.

The ride to the hospital was deadly silent. We already knew the news weren't good, now it was just a matter of how bad they were. I didn't even have it in me to cry anymore, I was just numb and going through the motions.

Dr. Smithers saw us in her office and I could tell she had made that very speech to other parents whose children had life-threatening diseases. Her soft voice sounded rehearsed and her sympathetic eyes were just too careful.

"So… the biopsy results are back, and just as we imagined, it is leukemia. More precisely, it is acute myeloid leukemia. As you know, leukemia is a cancer that starts in cells that would grow into different blood cells. The problem with this specific type is that it progresses quickly, so we have to start the treatment as soon as possible. It consists basically of chemo and then we'll have to find a bone marrow donor who's a match so we can have a transplant. We can also try cord blood stem cell transplantation, but the problem is that Seth's immune system has a few particularities to it that make it harder for just anyone to be a match. The chance of him developing graft versus host disease is big, so the closer the match, the better. We still have some time to think about that, though. We're going to start with chemotherapy and I must tell you in advance that the side effects are bad. So be strong for your child, because he's going to need it."

For some reason, finally having a diagnosis and a treatment plan made me feel a little better, because I knew that the doctors were invested in his cure, and there was a path for us to follow.

"Dr. Smithers, I want you to be very honest, because we have to know what to expect" Edward said "What kind of chances are we dealing with here?"

Her face clouded a little.

"I'm going to be very, very honest with you. AML is not good. Some types of leukemias have a better healing chance than others. Unfortunately, the acute myeloid type is not easy. Even more so with Seth's particularities. I would say we have a forty to fifty percent chance of succeeding. Now I know this sounds scary, but we're going to start the treatment and these chances might increase. What I need you to do now is support your child."

That was incredibly sad and I felt a blow to my stomach. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my child, but at the same time, my hopes were higher than ever. We were going to follow the treatment. We were going to find a donor. My baby would survive this. I know it was easier said than done, but I had to have a faith. In God, in the doctors, in life. There was absolutely nothing else I could do but be hopeful and strong for everything my son would have to go through.

I left her office without shedding a single tear. Edward, on the other hand, was pretty upset, so I held his hand and we walked to the parking lot together. Once in his car, I said,

"I know how you're feeling. But this is it now. We have a treatment plan, we'll stick to it and soon enough, things will be okay again."

He just nodded, his green eyes glistening with tears.

* * *

That night, I called my parents on Skype. They had to know.

"Hey, honey!" my father's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Are you okay? Renee, it's Bella!"

My mom appeared next to him, her face just as happy.

"Hey, darling! How are you? It's been a while, you didn't return our calls last Saturday."

I tried to smile.

"Yeah, I know, and that's why I'm calling."

My parents must have realized that something was up, because their faces went from smiley to worried.

"What happened, Bella?" my mom asked.

"Um… Well. Last week Seth had a fever and a weird looking bruise that appeared out of thin air. He was also very tired all the time, so I took him to the doctor's office. After a lot of tests and biopsies and stuff, we found out he has leukemia."

That's it. Straight to the point.

"Oh God." my father was the first to reply. I kept on explaining them everything the doctor had told me, and it surprised me to see they were much more supportive than sorry. I guess I was over the phase where I needed people to acknowledge my son was sick. I already knew that. I needed them to be understanding.

"It'll be okay, baby. You'll see. We'll be there soon to see him, okay?" Renee said and I smiled.

"Thank you, mom. I hope I have better news to share with you in the future."

"Sure thing, kiddo. We love you."

"I love you too!"

* * *

I called Em on my cell phone next. He picked up within two rings.

"Hey, Bells!" his cheery voice said.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm good. You're the one who's vanished. Where have you been?" I smiled. Emmett always, always made the mood lighter.

"Yeah, about that. I'm calling you because I need you to know something."

He was silent on the line for a second then I heard his booming laughter.

"Did Jacob finally knock you up?"

I sighed.

"Not really."

He was silent again and then his tone was serious.

"Shit, I'm sorry, you don't sound like you're kidding. What is it?"

"Seth wasn't doing well a few days ago, so I took him to the doctor. Long story short, he has leukemia, Em."

Now he turned silent for a long time. I even thought the line had gone dead.

"You're joking, right?"

"I wish I was."

He took a deep breath.

"Wow… this is… I don't even know, Bella. What did the doctors say?"

I went on to repeat everything Dr. Smithers had told me. By the end of it, I knew he had tears in his eyes. Emmett absolutely adored Seth, just like I loved his kids.

"I'm… Does Edward know? Has he been around?" his tone raised a little. Emmett did not like Edward a lot to these days.

"He's been great. Really." And it was true. I knew we were in this together, a hundred percent.

"Good. What about Seth? Does he know already?"

"No. I asked Carlisle for help to tell him and we're all going to meet on Saturday."

"Great. I'll stop by with the kids eventually, I'm sure your boy must be bored out of his mind, he could use a little cheering up."

"Thank you, Em. I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

When Saturday came, Jake, Seth and I had dinner at the Cullens' house. Alice and Jasper were there with Arthur and Edward with Tanya. After the meal, Carlisle, Edward and I went upstairs to the library where Seth was playing with a few of his toys. Arthur was asleep on the couch, I guess he had spent the whole day at the park with Jasper.

"Hey, Seth." Carlisle said "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He just nodded.

"I know you are in a bad mood because you haven't seen your friends in a while, and you miss school. Right?"

He looked up at Carlisle and nodded again, sadness visible in his eyes.

"Do you know why?"

"Mom says I'm sick. Sometimes I don't feel good, but it's nothing!"

Carlisle gave him a smile.

"Seth, do you remember when I told you about the little thingies in our blood?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember what they did?"

"Yes. You said some of them helped carry the air to the rest of the body, others helped the scrapes on my knees get better and others were like soldiers that attacked germs so that they can't make us too sick."

Edward and I smiled. He was so innocent.

"That's right! The thing is… you're sick because your body is having trouble making those cells. Do you understand what that means? If they are few or if they're not good, your body doesn't function the way it should. You get tired, some wounds don't heal correctly and so on."

Seth seemed deep in thought for a second.

"Is it dangerous?"

"A little, yeah. But in order to make it all better, the doctors have already planned treatments. Everything will be okay. I just want you to understand what's going on and tell me you'll be good and help us make you feel better, okay?"

He just nodded. I guess there wasn't much Carlisle could say without making him too scared, so we would explain things as they happened. Seth had always been a very understanding kid.

When we got out of the library, Ali was waiting to talk to me.

"I know this is probably the worst timing ever, but you're my best friend, and I want to share this with you. I'm pregnant, Bella!"

"Ali, that's great." We hugged each other. I knew it probably wasn't what I wanted to hear since less than a month before, I was trying to get pregnant myself, but there was no way those weren't good news. I was genuinely happy for her.

"I'm sorry about what's going on with Seth. I hope he gets better soon."

I just nodded. The Cullens had been great to us that entire time. Carlisle and Esme told me they would pay for all of Seth's medical expenses. Of course I tried to refuse, but then Esme said they had more money than they knew how to spend, so it was the least they could do. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and say that wasn't something I was worried about, because it was. Jake and I lived a fairly comfortable life, but we didn't have shitloads of money, and it wasn't fair with Edward if he paid for everything on his own. I mean, he had more money than I did but he wasn't nearly as rich as his parents were.

Before I left, Tanya gave me a hug and told me she was sorry for what we were going through and that she loved Seth as if he were her own. She was a little childish, but I knew she was being sincere, so I just hugged her back. Edward was happy to see that.

* * *

I was tucking Seth in when he asked me,

"Am I gonna die?"

His question caught me off guard and I almost fell of the bed. His eyes were sad and I just hugged him tight, trying not to cry.

"Honey, where did you get that from?"

"Last year a boy from school died. He had this leukemia thing."

I briefly remembered that fact, and if I was not mistaken, it was the same type as Seth's.

"Baby, it's okay. Like your grandpa told you, it's not good and we have to be careful, but there's a lot we can do, and everything will be just fine, okay? I love you. We all love you."

"I love you too, Mom." his voice sounded tearful and I don't know what came over me, but I sat there without crying.

He laid back down on the bed and I gave his forehead a kiss.

"I'm right here, honey. I'll take care of you."

I stayed with him until he fell asleep. That was the most heart-shattering experience I had ever been through. From that day on, I knew that convincing my child he was going to make it was what I had to do. Nothing else mattered and I would stop at nothing to see him well again.

 **[A/N: Next chapter will probably be EPOV! Please read and review :) ]**


	9. Chapter 8

**[A/N: Helloooooooooo! Sorry for the long delay, I had the roughest week at work! I'm praying for the safety of all of those who are in the path of Hurricane Florence. May God protect you all!  
** **Thank you for your lovely reviews, the favs and follows. This was a rough chapter to write as well, but I hope it explains some stuff about Edward. Have fun and review!]**

[EPOV]

Jasper walked into my office and landed the fourth tall cup of coffee of the day on my table.

"Thank you." I drank half of it in one sip and shook my head, as if the movement would clear my mind and help me do my job better.

"Man, you should go home. Really, you look like shit, besides, I told you I got this. If you need to leave to get some sleep or to try and clear your head, just go ahead. I'll be fine. Work can wait."

I turned to look at Jasper and he had a worried expression on his face. It had been almost three months since the day Bella and I received Seth's diagnosis. I went to see him almost everyday and it hurt me a lot to see how ill he looked. The chemotherapy was hard on him with lots of collateral effects and I was broken. I would trade places with him in a heartbeat just so he wouldn't go through that.

That week was particularly difficult because he spent most of it at the hospital due to constant throwing up and physical pain. The day he was discharged, I took both him and Bella home and then drowned myself in work. At least it distracted me a little. But that day I was way too tired. Maybe Jasper had a point.

"Man, I get what you're going through. If this was Arthur, I'd be going crazy. Besides, we're family. You should go home, get some rest. Your child needs you, but you have to be okay first. And right at this moment, you're not."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. They were dry as a desert and my head hurt, so I decided that maybe some rest was in order.

"Okay. I'll be back tomorrow. Thank you, Jas."

"Take your time."

I got in my car and drove home. I still lived at the same house since I moved to Port Angeles, even though Tanya wanted us to buy a new one. I said we would once we got married, but now that was the last thing on my mind. Her car was not in the driveway, which made me kind of grateful. Don't get me wrong, she was a great woman, but at that moment, I just wanted to sleep.

Before I went to my bedroom, I dialed Bella's number and she picked up after two rings.

"Hello?" her voice sounded terrible and somewhat shushed, so I figured Seth was asleep.

"Hey, Bella. How are things?"

"Oh, hi." she cleared her throat "Um… Pretty much the same since we came home. Seth's feeling a little better and today he was able to keep food down, so… Good. I think." her voice sounded so broken I felt sadness take over me. If I weren't so damn tired, I would go over to her place to spend some time with them. I don't care how many dirty looks that husband of hers would throw my way.

"Okay. You'll call me if anything changes, right?"

"Of course. Thank you for calling."

"Bye."

We hung up and I went upstairs. Removing all my clothing, I got under the covers and allowed sleep to envelope me.

* * *

"Edward?" I felt soft hands touching my shoulders. When I opened my eyes, Tanya was staring back at me.

"Yes?" I replied, rubbing my eyes.

"Your mom called and invited us to have dinner with them. I think we should. Are you okay?"

My head still hurt but I felt a little better. Besides, I hadn't seen my parents in God knows how long and my stomach was growling. I'm pretty sure Tanya had just gotten home, and I obviously hadn't made us anything, so eating my mom's meal sounded very appealing.

"Yeah. I'll just take a shower and then we'll go, okay?"

She nodded and smiled at me. I gave her a quick kiss on the lips and got up from bed. I would have asked her how her day had been, but at that moment, I just wanted to head to the shower.

Tanya and I met when I moved to Port Angeles. She was my next door neighbor and things just… happened. Bella and I weren't getting along all that well at the time and she wouldn't even talk to me about anything not Seth related. I knew she had a point, of course. Telling her she was stupid for forgetting about birth control was not the nicest thing to say when she told me about her pregnancy and to this day, I regret it. Seth was the most amazing thing to ever happen in my life and there was nothing stupid about his conception.

At first, Tanya and I were friends. I told her what was happening and she was very understanding. We spent a lot of time in each other's houses, and I'm not going to lie, she was a very pretty girl, easygoing and nice. One day, we decided to go on a date and things just happened from there. There wasn't much flirting or conquest… we just became boyfriend and girlfriend. She was a good person who wanted a future with me so I just went with it. I could imagine myself growing old with her. Our relationship also helped Bella and I to get along better because it drew a line between us. She was the mother of my child and that was it. When she got married, that line became even thicker. That's when I decided to propose to Tanya, so that I would consolidate our future. It's not like anything would change, we already lived together, but she wanted all the big princess-y wedding thing.

We drove to my parents' while she told me how work had been. Tanya was an industrial designer and loved her job. I confess I wasn't paying much attention, but she didn't mind. She knew that focusing was a hard task for me now.

My parents were welcoming as always and dinner was awesome. Alice, Jasper and Arthur were there already. They were having twins this time around, two girls, and my sister was huge at just five months pregnant.

After dinner, I went upstairs to my father's library to talk to him in private. No big deal, but just so my feelings wouldn't turn into a family subject.

"You look tired, son." his eyes were soft and worried as he held a cup of scotch in my direction. I took it and gladly felt the strong taste burn my throat.

"Yeah. This week was… the worst."

He nodded and then proceeded to explain things I already knew about his treatment and how everybody in our family had already been tested and no one was a match. It turned out that Seth was a bit of one of a kind and it was an extremely difficult task to find a donor for him.

There was something about the way Carlisle looked at me that told me he had something on his mind, but I didn't want to ask, because knowing my father, it was probably something we'd have a fight about, so I let it go.

"And how's Tanya dealing with it? She's talking to your mom about wedding stuff and I don't think she quite understands what's going on."

I shrugged.

"She knows perfectly well we're not having a wedding anytime soon. If planning it is her way of coping with everything that's been going on, so be it, but it's not happening. Not now, anyway."

He looked away from me and then asked,

"Is it ever happening?"

I rolled my eyes at him. We'd had that conversation a dozen times already. He thought I didn't really love Tanya. Even worse, my dad thought I was in love with Bella. I wasn't.

"Forget it." he said quickly "Your mother and I just want you to be happy, that's all."

We dropped the subject and soon enough, I felt sleepy. It was probably time to leave. When I got downstairs, Alice was there waiting for me. We hugged and she said,

"It won't be easy. But I promise you everything will work out in the end." she was so sure of her words, for a second I was sure she was right. Alice was kind of a psychic sometimes.

"Yeah… Thank you."

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye to everyone. Tanya and I left right after. Once in the car, she started talking.

"Oh my God, your mother really does have some amazing ideas for the wedding! She said-"

"Tanya, you know it's not happening anytime soon, right?" I know it was rude to interrupt her, but at the time being, I really wasn't thinking about any kind of celebration.

Her smile faded a little and she stared right ahead.

"Of course." her tone sounded falsely cheerful, like she was trying to hide the fact that she was disappointed. "When we do have a wedding, that is."

I just nodded and we stayed silent for the rest of the night. I know I should probably apologize, but at that moment, I really needed to get some sleep.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, she had already left, so I decided to have flowers delivered at her work as an apology. After making all the calls I had to, I thought it would be a good idea to see Seth after lunch, and that's what I did. I was in no shape to go to work that day and Jasper completely understood it.

After Bella got married, she moved into a new house, which was close to my parents'. Of course I didn't hang out there a lot, just to get Seth, but now, things were different, and I had become quite the regular, much to Jacob's dismay.

It's not like he and I didn't get along. He was a good guy and Seth really liked him, so did Bella. But I could tell he didn't like it when I was around her, even if Tanya was with us, too. Well, he had nothing to worry about. Bella wanted absolutely nothing to do with me unless it was related to our child.

In the beginning, I really thought something good would come out of it. She and I clicked. I never felt so comfortable around a woman before. Of course I'd had girlfriends before, but Bella was someone I could be myself with at all times. When she told me she was pregnant, I freaked out completely and was a jerk to her. From that day on, she never gave me the time of the day. Not that I can blame her, of course. In the end, I guess everything worked out alright. I found Tanya, she found Jacob and that's it. Sure, Bella _was_ , to this day, the most gorgeous woman I'd ever laid eyes on, and I did feel a pang in my chest when she told me she was getting married. But oh well. I guess we weren't meant to be.

I rang her doorbell and she answered. She had her hair up in a loose bun and terrible bags under her eyes.

"Hey." we hugged and I could feel her shoulder blades under my palms. Bella was skinny as I'd never seen her.

"Is he awake?"

She just nodded and pointed to the direction of his room. I went upstairs and the door to his bedroom was open, so I just went in. Seth was reading a book, and when he saw me, a big smile opened.

"Daddy!" we hugged and it broke my heart how fragile he was. Since most of his hair was falling off, Bella and I decided to have it shaved.

"Hey, buddy! How are you feeling?"

He shrugged.

"I'm okay I guess. At least I'm home." he flipped a page from his book.

"What are you reading?"

"A book about sea animals." he grinned and we started reading it together. It was good to see that at least he was in a good mood. Every once in a while, Alice would bring Arthur over to a playdate. Emmett and Rosalie also brought their children to cheer him up a little. I guess it worked.

After a while, he fell asleep and I left the room. I heard Bella's muffled voice coming from the other room.

"...I'm not going to stop him from seeing his sick child, Jacob. You're just being an idiot... Yeah, well, we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow so just suck it up. He can come here anytime he very well pleases. He's the father of my child and you've known that since we met. Yeah, right. See you."

I didn't mean to intrude and briefly considered going back into Seth's room, but Bella was faster. When she came out, we exchanged glances and she knew I'd heard everything. We went downstairs and I sat on her dining table.

She brought us cups of coffee and sat across from me.

"Am I… causing you trouble?"

Her deep brown eyes stared at me for two seconds and then she shook her head firmly.

"Of course not."

"I can meet him somewhere else, you know, I…"

"No." her tone was final "This is my son's house and you're his father. It's more than natural that you're here. If Jacob doesn't like it, he may as well find somewhere else to live. This isn't about him, nor about us. This is about Seth, and I really don't care what he thinks when it comes to my child."

I raised my eyebrows a little, but I knew she had a point. I just didn't want to cause her any problems.

"How has Seth been?"

"I think he's getting better. At least his mood improved a little and he's eating alright."

I nodded and we kept on talking about his treatment course and our worries over not finding a donor for him.

"It's going to be okay, Bella. I'm sure they'll find a way."

She sighed. After I finished my coffee, it was time to go. I didn't want to run into Jacob.

"Bye, Bella. If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away."

She nodded and we hugged. I drove back home and the rest of that week was uneventful.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Tanya woke me up early. I guess it was before 8. She sounded cheerful and I was thoroughly confused.

"What the hell, Tanya?"

"Come on, Edward! I prepared us something! Let's spend the weekend in Seattle!"

She must be crazy. But well, she _was_ getting dressed as if she were about to go on the road.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She sat down next to me on the bed and smiled.

"You need a distraction, baby. Besides, you've been talking about spending a weekend there for almost a year now. Come, let's go, you need this."

She had a point. Perhaps I needed to spend some quality time with her. Besides, Seattle still was one of my favorite places on Earth and I hadn't been there in forever.

"Okay. I just need to let Bella know first, just in case something happens."

"Don't worry, honey. I just called her to let her know. Everything will be fine."

I sat there rubbing my eyes and she threw clothes at me.

"Go on, get dressed. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

I did as she said and twenty minutes later, we left. Thank goodness she decided to drive, because I still felt mentally exhausted.

That weekend was good. I remembered a bit of what brought Tanya and I together in the first place. It was a pleasant weekend, we went sightseeing and I showed her my favorite spots in the city. At that moment, we were just a normal couple who hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. I had fun and was able to mentally recover a little.

Of course I called Bella to ask about Seth, two or three times over the weekend and he was fine. We went home on Sunday and arrived there at about eight p.m. Since I drove back, I hadn't checked my phone, but it didn't ring, so I figured everything was alright.

* * *

After I took a shower, I grabbed the phone from my nightstand to check any new messages, but to my surprise, it was turned off. I found it to be weird, because I completely remembered charging it before going on the road. When I turned it on, the battery sign showed me it was fully charged.

The phone started vibrating like crazy in my hands. Voicemails. Messages, one after the other. Eighteen were from Bella. Five from Alice. Three from Jasper. Twenty-two missed calls from my mother. Thirty-one from Bella.

Something was not right.

I checked the messages, and in the middle of a lot of swearing and anger, the first message Bella sent me read:

"Seth had a massive nosebleed we weren't able to stop. Going to the hospital right now."

That message was sent to me three hours before. The other ones were from her asking me where the hell I was and how could I do this to her.

Tanya had some serious explaining to do, but that would be later. Putting on the first clothes I saw and yelling at her that we would have a serious talk when I got back home, I entered my car and sped off to the hospital.

 **[A/N: oooohhh... are the masks falling off? Review!]**


	10. Chapter 9

**[A/N: Hello! Long time no see! Thank you for reading my story and for all those who sent me reviews. A few things should be made clear, though: Edward is NOT a bad father. Or selfish. He's a bit stupid, yes, but most of all, he's in deep DENIAL. It's not unheard of and it's something that I decided to address in my story because it HAPPENS, it's a natural reaction that can make people make stupid decisions like sadness and anger, too. Also, if both Edward and Bella didn't have any growing up to do, there would be no point in writing fiction for them. Second, I do realize the way some medical situations are portrayed here is NOT totally accurate, and it's a bit of the intention. This is a work of fiction. I hope you like this chapter and please review. See you at the bottom.]**

 **DISCLAIMER: All Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

Chapter 9

[BPOV]

I had just woken up on Saturday morning. Seth was doing much better that day. Ali, Rose and I had even arranged a playdate for him with Arthur, Riley and Lily later, and he was really looking forward to it.

It was just a little after eight when my phone rang. Figuring it was probably Edward, I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" a sweet female voice spoke to me. Tanya. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Tanya. Good morning."

"I'm just calling you to ask if Seth's doing fine. I'm worried about him, but also there's something else. I planned a weekend in Seattle with Edward, because he's basically a zombie these days and we haven't spent a lot of time together. I just want him to clear his head, you know? Is it okay if we go? His phone will be on all the time and we'll be back tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes. Tanya wanted 'quality time' with him. Of course I believed her when she said Edward looked like a zombie. Jasper had told me he spent many extra hours at the office, and he had been in my house to see Seth at least ninety-two out of the ninety-five days that had passed since we received his diagnosis. I knew he wasn't sleeping because neither was I. Besides, Seth was doing okay and we had things planned with him. My parents were coming over that evening and would spend the Sunday with us. I didn't see Edward's short absence as such a big deal as long as he would pick up my calls and check on Seth from time to time. That's what I told her.

"Deal! Thank you, Bella. I owe you one."

"Yeah, whatever. Bye." I was too tired to sugar coat my words towards her.

Jake and I were back to speaking normally since that argument. He apologized to me later on and set his priorities straight again. From that day on, he didn't speak another word about Edward and went back to being just my husband and not a jealous jerk.

The children came over to spend some time with Seth and he had a blast. Of course he wasn't able to run around and play like he wanted to, but they found other things to do and had lots of fun anyway. Emmett spent the day with me and we caught up on our conversation. Alice was there, too, but she left early because she got very tired. Jasper would come and get Arthur later.

For one day, I was able to feel normal again. My son was playing with his cousins, my brother was home with me and my husband was in a perfectly good mood. Edward called me to check on Seth twice on Saturday and I told him everything was fine. He even asked me if I wanted him to go back to Port Angeles and cut his trip short, but I told him not to worry and get some rest. My family would all be there anyway and Seth really did seem to be doing fine.

My parents spent all Sunday with us and it was amazing. With Seth that sick, I hadn't gone to Forks in a while. I missed them, at that moment more than any other. Sometimes parents need their parents, too.

Just like we had arranged, Edward called to check on Seth a few times. The last call was at around four p.m and he said he would be home soon. That was around the time my parents left to go back to Forks. I was happy to have had such a great weekend with my family and to see my son better.

I was just reading a book when I heard Seth's little steps approach me.

"Mom…" when I looked at him, there was blood everywhere. His nose was bleeding so profusely I almost passed out. From that moment, everything that happened was just a blur to me. I was so desperate the only thing I noticed was that we were in the car and that Jacob had used my phone to let Edward know, but he didn't pick up or reply the messages. That made me even more hysterical and I know I should try my hardest not to freak out and scare Seth even more, but I just wasn't in any control over myself. When we got to the hospital, they took Seth away immediately and I just cried and cried. Jake tried to comfort me, but just his touch made my blood boil. I was both scared for my son's life and furious that the one time that entire weekend that I needed Edward to just know what was going on he would disappear. I don't know where he came from, but suddenly Carlisle was standing next to me. He spoke something that I couldn't quite make out, but something about the firm grasp he had on my shoulders felt different than Jake's attempt at a soothing touch. It brought me down a bit. The tears just fell free now and then he just hugged me. I sobbed so hard into his shoulders I felt like I was going to disintegrate.

"Bella… it's okay. He's being taken care of. It'll be fine, honey. Come on, breathe."

I tried, but it felt more difficult than coming back for air after being underwater for a long time. I felt just awful.

"Wh-where t-the fuck is Edward?" I shook violently and felt like I was drowning. The words left my mouth as if I were trying to cough them up instead of just saying them.

"We're trying to get a hold of him. It's not like him to turn off his phone… he'll be here soon."

I had never, ever felt more scared than I did at that time. The anger that went through me was nothing like I had ever experienced before. The Cullens started showing up but I didn't talk to anyone. Dr. Smithers was nowhere to be seen and no one was there to tell me a damn thing. When I saw Edward pretty much running to where we were, I lunged towards him and started screaming as many profanities as I could. He held my arms without hurting me, but something caught in my throat and everything went black.

* * *

[EPOV]

I had never, in almost seven years, seen Bella like that. The way she came to me and almost hit me was not what bothered me. Her eyes were just so bloodshot and scared, I would never forget what I saw in them. As much as she was angry, what I could see is that she was absolutely terrified. Then, she just passed out.

I held her in my arms and called someone to help her. My dad rushed to where we were and they stretched Bella on a gurney in order to take her inside. My first instinct was to go along with them, but the other doctor told me that no one was allowed in there just yet. They took her. All of this happened in about three minutes. All I could notice then was that Jacob was across the hall glaring at me. My mom was telling me stuff that I couldn't quite make out. Then Dr. Smithers appeared and started talking at the same time.

"One at a time!" I yelled "Mom, I'll talk to you in a second, I need to hear about Seth then I'm going to check on Bella."

Esme just started at me with bloodshot eyes and shook her head, sitting down on the nearest chair. Then, Dr. Smithers took a deep breath.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. I think you do know that Seth was rushed in with nasal hemorrhaging, right?" I nodded and she went on "I'm afraid he's going to stay here indefinitely. None of his blood cells levels look good. Mr. Cullen… we need a bone marrow transplant. There's no way around this anymore. I know now is not the time, but since that option isn't coming along as we expected it to, I'll sit down with you and Mrs. Black later so that we can figure out something else."

I don't really know what went through my head that exact moment. My child was going to stay at the hospital for God knows how long. He was not getting any better. At that time, I commanded my brain to stay hopeful. I really did. I tried hard. But the feeling that the ground exploded beneath me was overwhelming. I guess she must have realized I wasn't listening anymore, because she touched my arm reassuringly.

"It's not the end, Mr. Cullen. We can't think like that. I know it's difficult, but we'll try to work something out. You can see him in an hour or so."

I just nodded and she smiled sympathetically before leaving. My dad still hadn't returned, so I sat down next to mom.

"What happened, son?" I knew she was mad at me, but her tone was sad, not angry.

"Tanya turned off my phone. I just noticed after I got home. Don't ask me why, I haven't asked her yet. As soon as the messages reached me, I got in my car and drove here."

She nodded and I went on.

"I don't know what I was thinking. It seemed like he would be okay for the weekend, Bella was happy that the kids were there with him and then her parents too… I… I don't know. I'm not thinking straight, Mom. I'm not dealing with what's going on the right way. I'm scared." tears escaped my eyes as I spoke and then I realized I'd been living in denial that entire time. I knew Seth was not okay, that his disease was bad, but now it just hit me in the face with full force. My son could die and as the same time as I was aware of that, I really wasn't. What if he never got out of the hospital?

My mom probably had loads of things to say and I knew I deserved to hear all of them, but silence was worse. She was disappointed, and so was I. Of course I never expected Tanya to turn off my phone, but I should have stayed home. At that point, I was even doubting if I really wanted to be with her at all.

My dad finally returned and told us Bella had been sedated and would stay overnight. He said the hospital had offered us counseling, and I thought that maybe accepting it would be a good idea. Professional help was just what I needed.

Jacob kept glaring at me and part of me wanted to go up to him and demand him to tell me what the fuck his problem was, but that was so not my priority. Since I didn't want to see Tanya, my mom went to my house to grab a few clothes and other hygiene items. I had no idea how long Seth would be there for, but I wouldn't leave his side.

* * *

When she got back at the hospital with my stuff, my mom told me Tanya had gone hysterical. I didn't really care, though. When the doctor cleared me to see Seth and to spend the night there, he opened a big smile.

"Daddy!" he opened his little arms to envelope me in a hug. He was so frail and tiny the hospital gown looked huge on him. It was difficult to hold back tears, but he was smiling, so I had to be strong.

"Hey, there. How are you feeling?"

He shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. I was dizzy, but it's gone now. Where's Mom?"

I took a deep breath and tried to phrase my words carefully so he wouldn't be too worried.

"The doctors are with her, but she's okay. I'm going to spend the night with you."

He nodded.

"She was very scared today." his tone was somber and I really didn't know what to say, so I just held his hand.

"How long am I going to be here for?"

That was another tricky question. Even I feared that answer.

"We don't know that yet."

His green eyes looked at mine and we mirrored each other. At that moment, I felt exactly like a terrified 6 year-old boy.

"Am I ever going home?" his tone was sad, but also slightly annoyed. Still, the fact that he understood that there was a possibility he wouldn't leave the hospital broke my heart in a million pieces. I wasn't able to hold back my tears this time, then I held him close so he wouldn't notice.

"Of course you are, buddy. We're here to make you all better, okay? It's just that… it's taking a little longer than we expected, but you'll be fine."

He nodded and I grabbed one of the books I asked my mom to bring me so I could distract him a bit. Dr. Smithers came to check on him one last time and thirty minutes later, he was asleep. I followed soon after, drifting to sleep on the very uncomfortable sofa. Tanya kept calling me, so I blocked her number for the night.

A few hours later, a soft sound jolted me awake. Opening just one eye, I noticed Bella was in the room with us, sitting at the armchair between the sofa I was in and Seth's bed. She held his hand and looked at him lovingly. I could only imagine how much it killed her to be in this situation.

I rose to a sitting position and she looked at me.

"Sorry. Did I wake you up?" she said in a soft voice.

"No, it's okay. Are you feeling better?"

She shrugged.

"I guess so. Still a little dizzy from all the sedatives, but I'm good. Did Dr. Smithers say anything?"

I sighed. Telling her that our son was not getting better was something I wish I didn't have to do.

"Yeah… she said he's not getting much better. There isn't a date set for his discharge yet and she told us we need to… find an alternative."

She closed her eyes as if holding back tears and just nodded. That night was a nightmare. Seth was not good, Bella was suffering and I couldn't trust the person I had lived with for the past few years.

We were silent for a few minutes and even though she didn't look like she was mad at me anymore, I had some apologizing to do.

"Bella… I'm sorry about what happened. I'm not trying to make any excuses for anything. I wasn't expecting-"

"Tanya to turn off your phone. I know. She was here."

I went dead silent for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and looked away from me again.

"I don't really know. I was still a little out of it, but she was crying her eyes out and apologizing. I remember she said something about not wanting you to be disturbed and turned off your phone because you seemed to be in a good mood for the first time in months. Jake told her to get out and I think she wanted to find you, but Carlisle had security make her leave."

I was baffled. Never had I ever imagined Tanya could behave like that. I guess I was in denial about a lot of things.

"I'm sorry anyway. I'm… not dealing with this the right way. I should get professional help."

She nodded.

"You should. You're not a bad guy and I appreciate it that you've been there almost everyday since we had his diagnosis. But I can't have what happened today happen again, Edward. Seth can't have that. Find help if you need to. You're a great dad, and I need that side of yours to be present at all times. And I'm sorry to say that, but I don't want Tanya around my son anymore."

I rubbed my eyes and we looked into each other's eyes. Bella looked ten years younger and ten years older at the same time. If someone told me six years ago that Bella and I would go through so much together, I wouldn't have believed them.

"I don't her around him either. Don't worry about that. But I would like to apologize for… everything, you know. I never really told you how sorry I was about that time you told me you were pregnant and I asked you if it was mine and then said you were stupid. I'm sorry. There's nothing stupid about this whole story. I don't regret a single thing about it and I hope you'll forgive me."

She looked at me for a long time and then nodded.

"It's okay. Really. Of course I forgive you." she gave me a faint smile at the end of her sentence and then we heard the glass door slide. Jacob's head peered inside and he let out a relieved breath. Then, he stared hard at me, as usual.

"Bella!" he said in a low voice "The nurses are looking for you. It's 4 in the morning!"

"I came here to check on him. Last thing I remembered, I passed out and no one told me anything about how he was." her tone seemed annoyed and I noticed Jake rolled his eyes. She got up from her armchair and slowly made her way out. I was going to help her, but Jacob was faster, glaring at me again as he took her hand.

"When he wakes up, you tell me." she said to me "I don't care what time it is. I don't care if I haven't been discharged yet. I want to be here."

I nodded and they left. In no time, I was back to sleep.

* * *

The next day, things were a little better. Bella was discharged and we spent all day with Seth. Since just parents were allowed in the room, Jake left to work. By the end of the afternoon, Dr. Smithers and another doctor came to talk to us while Seth received yet another round of medications.

"Mr. Cullen, Mrs. Black, this is Dr. Stevens, he's a geneticist and we're here to talk to you about a few things regarding Seth. As you know, finding a donor has proven to be a difficult task in his case and we've been discussing different scenarios."

Bella and I remained silent, so she went on.

"As you know, the best chance for a good match would come from a sibling."

They both looked expectantly at us and I didn't really get their point at first, then something clicked. That's why she had brought a geneticist with her.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You're suggesting that Bella and I… have another baby?"

Then, Dr. Stevens spoke up. He was a man in his mid forties who seemed to have had that talk with other desperate parents a few times.

"Yes, actually. It's the best chance we got so far. We would create test-tube embryos and select those that are compatible to him and also that do not carry the disease. Then, they would be implanted into Mrs. Black's womb via IVF."

Bella and I just stared at them agape. Were they for real? Was that an actual suggestion? Dr. Smithers sensed our concern and gave us a sympathetic smile.

"I know this sounds extreme, but we wouldn't suggest it if there was any way around it. We're dealing with time. We can stabilize Seth until the new baby is born and able to donate tissue if necessary, but we hope that cord blood will be enough, at first at least. But we need a perfect match, or as close to that as possible. We really can't risk graft versus host disease at this point. It would be fatal. I know it's a very tricky situation and we can't bring a child into this world to be a medical commodity, that's why we need you to think it through and talk to your spouses. The hospital offers counseling, I think you should see our therapist to make that decision. Excuse us."

They both left. Bella and I stared at each other for a long, long time. It would be an entirely other story if we were married. Or at least together. Or at least not married to other people, in her case. God, Jake would never leave her alone again if she accepted to have another child with me.

"I can't make this decision right now. I just can't."

I nodded.

"I know, right? Let's… let's think it through some other time. Talk to Jacob first… I don't know. There's got to be something else we could do… this sounds… I don't know."

I was lost in my own thoughts and her expression mirrored mine. She just nodded and we walked together back to Seth's room. He was doing better that morning and his tests showed no big change.

The idea of having another child didn't bother me. Strangely enough, I wasn't even bothered by the idea of having a child with Bella. It was just a very weird situation. I didn't want to bring a new child into the world to serve as a medical resource. That sounded plain wrong. I wanted to see Seth better with everything I had, though. Also, a new baby couldn't bring anything but good news, right? Maybe it would be the beginning of a better time in the lives of everyone involved. I would not push Bella to that decision, though.

* * *

[BPOV]

An entire week passed and Seth showed no big change. Of course he was feeling better and all, but the doctors didn't want to discharge him just yet.

Jake and I had a huge argument over the whole new baby thing. He was pissed off at first, because in his words, I had postponed our plans to have a baby of our own and was super excited over the chance to have another child with Edward. It didn't matter if my son's life was at stake, just who, for a genetic matter, would father a possible second child. I told him he was a selfish jerk and we spent two days not talking to each other. Eventually he came around and told me he would support any of my decisions to save Seth. I accepted his apologies, but they didn't convince me at all. Deep down I knew he had changed since Seth got sick and I had no idea how much more I would take from him in that situation.

Edward broke up with Tanya. He says she threw a fit and her sister Kate had to come and get her. He even had his locks changed. Okay, I never fully trusted Tanya, but I never imagined she would behave like a spoiled child to that extent.

I liked Kate. She always seemed to be a level headed girl and on the few occasions I had met her, we always engaged in interesting conversations. So different from her harebrained younger sister.

Edward was seeing a therapist and seemed to be doing a lot better, to a point that I guess he was dealing with Seth's situation better than I was. Also, with Tanya out of his life, he was in a better mood. Since we spent a lot of time together, it's safe to say we were truly friends again, and not just two people who got along because of their kid. Jake didn't like that at all, but he had no say in that. He knew from day one that I had a child and that his father was present.

* * *

One day, I left to get some lunch while Edward stayed with Seth. Carlisle joined me and we had a pleasant conversation. I really liked him. His soothing presence helped me a lot through those times. Aside from my parents, Carlisle and Esme were the best set of grandparents I could have imagined for my child.

When I got back, there were people moving around in Seth's room. From the outside, I noticed his nose was bleeding again. That familiar panicky sensation took hold of me again and my vision started to blur. The last thing I remember is a pair of strong hands holding me and Edward's voice calling my name.

What felt like hours later, I woke up. Edward and Carlisle were there. He checked my eyes with a light, and I told him I was fine. More than twenty minutes and a talk about me needing to see a therapist later, he finally let me out.

"We're doing it." I said to Edward on our way to Seth's room. He looked at me in confusion.

"Doing what?"

I took a deep breath.

"The IVF, Edward. We're having a baby."

 **[A/N: There's an obvious difference as to how Jake's portrayed in BPOV and EPOV because each of them realizes things about him that the other doesn't and vice versa. If the subject of babies created to save siblings disturbs you in any way, I advise you read my story carefully.]**


	11. Chapter 10

**[A/N: Helloooo! Thank you so much for your reviews and to everyone who's reading this! We're reaching a critical stage of the story, I hope you like it! Reviews are very appreciated! Love you all! ~L]**

 **DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

* * *

Chapter 10

We communicated our decision to Dr. Stevens and Dr. Smithers that same day. They explained in better detail all the process. Ovulation would be induced so that more than one egg would be produced and the embryos could be tested. Then, a suitable embryo would be implanted in my uterus and hopefully, it would catch and my pregnancy would develop with no complications.

That night, Edward encouraged me to go home to talk to Jake and have a proper shower and dinner. I accepted it, since I was just exhausted and there was no way that conversation could be delayed. Promising to be back early the next day, I went home.

Jake's car was in the driveway, but the living room lights were out. I hadn't really spoken to him since the day before and we hadn't been on good terms for a while now. That conversation was not going to make anything better.

He was in the kitchen, probably cooking something for himself, since I hadn't told him I'd be going home for the night.

"Hey." I said, quietly.

He turned around to face me and then I noticed he looked sad and worried.

"Hey." he walked to me and gave me a kiss on the lips. "I didn't know you were coming home. I think I might have cooked enough for the both of us, though. Are you hungry?"

I just nodded, unable to say anything else. It's almost like he was back to being my loving husband. When I closed my eyes, I briefly remembered the day we got married and wondered how had things gone downhill, or if maybe I had been wrong all that time. Was Jake really as selfish as he was appearing to be? Was he just hurt? I didn't know anymore.

As we ate, I told him about how Seth was and he told me about his work. Of course my house was more comfortable than the hospital couch I'd been sleeping on the previous few days, but… it lacked warmth. Since Seth had been admitted to the hospital for an unknown amount of time, I really hated going back to my place and seeing his stuff around the house. It scared me to no end to think that there was a possibility he was never going back home, and it killed me. That cold sensation felt even worse with my marriage falling apart and the path ahead of me doomed to make things worse in that situation. I felt so confused by my feelings it wasn't even funny. I didn't want my relationship with Jake to crumble, and I knew that was a real possibility when I had the IVF, but at the same time, there was no way I wouldn't have it, since so far it was the only thing I could do to save my son.

The worst part, the part that caused the worst confusion in my head, is that I wasn't bothered by the idea of having another baby with Edward. Of course it was for a greater purpose, but having a second child with my 'ex', for lack of a better word, while I was married to another man was something that should have felt weird. But I was almost eager for it to happen. I tried to tell myself it was only because of Seth, and I would stick with that version. I didn't have the strength to think into it. The only thing I knew is that Edward and I were closer than ever and that I felt a hundred percent comfortable in sharing all my worries with him, and I never felt that way with Jake, whatever that meant.

After taking the longest shower of my life, I laid down on the bed next to Jake. He was reading a book and didn't look up at me.

"I need to talk to you."

He sighed, closed his book and motioned for me to talk. It's like he was… impatient.

"I'm all ears." his tone was a little sarcastic and I felt annoyance building up inside me.

"I'm having the IVF. I'm having another baby."

A long silence followed and I could almost feel Jake's blood boil. He carefully put the book on the nightstand, as if controlling his movements so he wouldn't come off as aggressive.

"You didn't even talk to me about this. How can you make a decision like that?"

I rose a hand to stop him.

"I did tell you. And this is not up for discussion, Jacob. This is my son we're talking about and he could die. I'm not asking your permission, I'm just informing you because you're still my husband."

I know that was below the belt, but he was getting on my nerves and had been for a while now. Jake just stared hard at me for a long time and then took a deep breath.

"Okay. Thank you for telling me. I understand your decision. Maybe you won't even need and IVF, maybe you and Edward can just make a baby the natural way. It wouldn't surprise me."

That felt like a slap to my face.

"I'm not going to give you the response you deserve because I have more important things on my mind right now than your ridiculous assumptions about Edward and I."

I turned my back to him and covered myself with the blanket. I didn't even notice when I fell asleep, that's how tired I was.

* * *

The next day, Jake had already left when I woke up. It saddened me to see how fast my marriage was going to waste and it saddened me even more to see that Jake wasn't trying his best. Neither was I, to be quite honest, but come on. I had a sick child at the hospital. He was very supportive in the beginning but as Edward got closer to me, he started drifting away. I know it must hurt him seeing my ex around me all the time and I know it's not easy to wrap his head around the fact I'm having another baby while we're still married. But really, it was difficult for me as well. Besides, it's not like Edward and I were madly in love or in a complicated situation when I met Jake. He was my son's father, period.

When I arrived at the hospital, Seth was playing with some other kids in a room where a nurse was watching them if anything went wrong. That was heartbreaking. My son had to be watched over all the time now and couldn't even be with other kids for too long before having to take some test or go through another round of medications.

I found Edward speaking to Carlisle near the cafeteria. He looked tired as hell and I made a mental note to tell him to go home and take some rest after we had breakfast.

"Hey." I said. They both greeted me and Carlisle excused himself to go back to work. Edward's eyebrows knit in worry when he took a good look at me.

"You're not okay." he stated. I shrugged.

"I haven't been okay in almost four months now."

He shook his head and came closer, holding my face in his hands.

"It's not just that. What happened? Does it have anything to do with… the talk?"

I nodded slowly and I felt the tears burn my eyes. He pulled me into an embrace and I felt his right hand smoothen my hair, his left one caressed my back in a soothing motion.

"It's okay. He'll come around eventually, Bella."

I just nodded because I didn't want to go into detail about how I didn't even know anymore if I wanted Jake to come around. His fingers wiped a few tears from my face and he gave me a small smile.

"You could use some breakfast and I'm starving. Shall we?"

"Sure."

He put a hand on my shoulder and led me to the cafeteria. He told me how happy Seth was to be playing with other sick children. The good thing about it is that he didn't feel so alone at the hospital and didn't feel like he was the only kid who had leukemia in the world. He was coping a lot better now and it made it easier for both Edward and I. Our son was back to being the smiley, sweet little boy he had always been.

I was assigned a new OBGYN so that I would be monitored at the hospital before and after the IVF. Also, I started seeing a therapist and I guess it was good for me. There wasn't much I wanted to discuss with her just yet, though, because sometimes it felt silly for me to repeat stuff I had already told Edward or other people. She promised that overtime I would notice results, so I trusted her. Besides, it was good to talk to someone who was not involved in my story.

Jake and I didn't talk much after that day. He would see Seth a few times a week and stay with him for a while, but that was all. He wouldn't talk to me anymore than the necessary at the hospital and whenever I went home, he wasn't there. I didn't ask him where he went either.

My parents still didn't know about my decision to have another baby with Edward, but they did know my marriage was on the rocks. Renee didn't say much about it, but my dad was devastated. He and Jake's dad were close friends, so us getting a divorce could make things awkward between them. As much as I loved my father, that was not my problem. Of course I hoped we wouldn't get to that, but with each passing day, it became a big possibility.

Emmett was not very fond of Jake at that moment, and he was very understanding of my decision to have the baby. He and Edward even became a little more friendly towards each other. Rose was always there for me, of course, but we did see a lot less of each other because I spent almost all my time at the hospital and it wasn't always possible for them to visit. They were around as much as they could, though. Seth and Lily were like siblings, being the same age and all, so they missed each other a lot, as did Riley. And I missed my nephew and niece, too.

Alice and Jasper were there to see Seth whenever she had an appointment. Being pregnant with twins could not be easy. They both were more than supportive of all the baby idea and Alice was disappointed when I told her about Jake's behavior. They liked each other alright, but I knew deep down Ali had always wanted to see Edward and I together.

Since Ali and I were both absent from the publishing house, Angela was handling stuff. I was at the hospital a lot, so I tried to help her as well as I could from a distance. That arrangement was working well that far and being somewhat busy during the times where Seth was asleep or receiving medication helped me get distracted.

Throughout those times, I received a lot of help from a lot of people, but Edward was really my rock. My parents were far away and my marriage was disintegrating, so I had him. It may sound obvious since he's Seth's dad that we would be leaning on each other for support, but for me it wasn't. He had gotten over his denial and even though I know for a fact he was still sad and worried, Edward was the person I talked to about every little thing that happened in my day and the person who held me when I broke down and cried, which was quite often.

* * *

The last two weeks of September and the beginning of October were terrible. I was taking medication to induce ovulation and it made me feel awful. I was bloated all the time, my breasts hurt a lot and I was even more anxious than usual. I kept thinking about what the hell I was going to do if the fertilization didn't work. Did Seth have time to wait if it didn't? What was going to happen from then on?

Dr. Sarah Lake was my OBGYN. She was very sweet and kind and seemed really into making the fertilization work as soon as possible. Everyone in the hospital knew Seth's story, since he was Carlisle's grandson and all, and everyone was rooting for him.

One day, I woke up early to have my eggs removed by the doctor. I had slept at my house that night, but it did nothing for my nerves. It was more comfortable, yes, but I was alone at home. I even considered calling Edward or maybe Jake so that I wouldn't feel so uneasy, but in the end, decided to just get some sleep. That day I came to the conclusion that I missed Edward when he was not around. I guess I was just used to his presence almost 24/7.

Dr. Lake saw me and took me to another room where I would have the eggs retrieved, so that they could get tested and finally fertilized. Then, after one week, they would implant three embryos into my uterus and hope that at least one would catch. I was trying my hardest not to think about the consequences of that, good or bad. I just wanted to concentrate on what was going on at that moment, or else I would freak out.

"Okay, Mrs. Black. You do realize that this might not result in a pregnancy, right? We hope it does, but if it doesn't, I need you to keep trying, okay?"

I nodded, unable to say anything else. A nurse gave me an oxygen mask and I inhaled something that made me relax instantly, almost to the point of falling asleep, which was good, because I hated needles or anything similar to them, and I would have a tube suck out my eggs through my vagina. That didn't sound appealing at all.

I didn't feel much besides the ultrasound probe moving around, and that was okay. They gave me a few minutes to recover and she told me to take it easy for a few days. The embryos would be implanted the following week.

When I went back to Seth's room, Dr. Smithers was there. I thought it was weird, since she usually wasn't there at that hour of the day. My heart started beating faster because I immediately figure something was wrong. There was no blood anywhere, at least.

Edward left the room to talk to me.

"Is something wrong?" anxiety was evident in my voice and he put both hands on my shoulders to calm me down.

"No, it's fine. They ran a few tests and Dr. Smithers is checking on him right now, that's all." he sounded calm, but I could tell by the look on his eyes that was not all. Before I could ask him, though, Dr. Smithers left the room and walked towards us.

"Good morning, Mrs. Black. We ran a few blood tests to check if we're making progress. His levels are definitely better than when he was admitted, but they stabilized at a low level, so we're changing his chemo medication to something stronger."

She looked at us to see our reaction. Like always, I froze in my spot and my brain thought about the worst scenarios. It was so difficult to stay positive sometimes.

"And how is this going to affect him?" Edward asked. I was so jealous of his ability to remain calm and reasonable at those times. Thank God for him.

"The collateral effects are worse. Please be prepared for that, and be there for him at all times, because he's going to need you."

My eyes didn't even burn when tears filled them anymore. I hated more than anything knowing that Seth would go through pain and discomfort once again. Edward brought me close to him and thanked Dr. Smithers. After she left, he said close to my ear:

"It's okay. It's just a matter of time. In a few months he will be better and then there will be no more of this."

He have me a kiss on the forehead, wiped some of my tears and we went back into the room. Seth was sitting on the bed playing with some action figures Emmett had given him.

"Hey." he greeted us with a smile and Edward started talking to him about whatever TV show they watched the day before. I just looked at my son. He was skinny and had bags under his eyes. How could the new medication make him even worse? At that moment more than any other, I wished with all my heart that the new baby would be here sooner rather than later. God knows we needed some good news.

* * *

One week after the egg retrieval, they implanted three embryos in my uterus. The doctor said it was highly unlikely that all three of them would catch, they were just being safe. I was advised to take it easy for the next two weeks and God knows I tried. Jake and I only ever met at the hospital now, and I noticed that whenever I went home, there was less and less of his stuff. I had no idea where he was spending his time, and honestly, I didn't care at that time.

Three weeks after implantation, I had a blood test to know if I had succeeded to get pregnant. I wanted to make a urine test at home sooner, but Dr. Lake advised me against it, since I could still have residual hormone from the injections and get a false positive.

The day after the test, I saw her first thing in the morning.

"Hello, Mrs. Black! How have you been?"

"Sore." I replied sincerely. That's how I had been since taking the ovulation inductors. She told me it was expected so I just didn't give it much thought.

"Okay. Well, I have your results." she printed them and gave me the sheet of paper. Before I could read it, though, she said,

"Congratulations, Mrs. Black. You're having a baby."

* * *

[EPOV]

Bella was looking at me with tears in her eyes. Happy tears this time around. She had just told me the IVF had worked and she was pregnant. It reminded me a lot of seven years before and I realized how much things had changed and how differently we were both behaving. When she got pregnant with Seth, she was really scared and I was an idiot. Well, she was still scared, but for very different reasons now. And I was extremely happy this time around. Not only was this child planned, he or she would bring us a new hope.

She and I decided against telling Seth at least until she was past her 12 weeks. Her first ultrasound was at five weeks and everything looked okay. There was no telling if more than one embryo had caught yet, but what mattered is that everything was going fine. Her parents were not very happy with us about that story, but there was no going back now. Besides, it was for a great reason. She told me that Jacob hadn't really said anything when she talked to him about being pregnant. I had a feeling he was seeing someone else, and as much as I appreciated that he was often at the hospital to see my son and that his love and worry about him seemed very sincere, I thought he was being a jerk to Bella. Sometimes I just wish she would file for divorce already. And then I would beat myself up over it, because I just couldn't have feelings for her. Not at that moment.

* * *

When Bella was ten weeks, we had another ultrasound and I went with her, like I always did when she was pregnant with Seth. Her stomach was starting to show already, and she looked even more beautiful than ever. Doctors were monitoring her closely, which meant she had to get enough sleep and eat well, so she wasn't skinny anymore and her eyes no longer had bags under them. Bella was constantly worried about Seth and stayed a lot of time at the hospital, of course, but now was different.

Once at Dr. Lake's office, after Bella changed into a hospital gown and laid down on the medical table, a nurse helped the doctor set things up and five minutes later, we were watching our baby on the screen and listening to a very loud and fast heartbeat. Everything seemed to be fine, but I noticed Dr. Lake had her eyebrows knit together and had a weird expression on her face.

"Is everything okay?" Bella was already alarmed so I held her hand in mine and gave it a light squeeze for her to calm down.

"It is, don't worry, it's just that… wait a minute."

She clicked away at some stuff and pressed a button on her keyboard. Suddenly, we were listening to not only one… but two heartbeats. Then, Dr. Lake turned to us and smiled.

"It looks like two embryos developed, Mrs. Black."

"What?" we both asked in unison. Then she turned the screen to us again and circled two small dots on the screen.

"It was hard to see in the beginning, since they're so small, but I tried a different angle and… well, there are two."

Bella and I exchanged a glance and her expression mirrored mine. I was shocked. Not that it wasn't good, but twins? Alice had just had her girls and it wasn't easy on her. Pregnancy, labor and taking care of two babies at the same time…

We went back to Seth's room in silence and she was still surprised, so I pulled her arm before we went in and she looked at me.

"I know you're scared. I am too, especially when I know what the future holds for us when twins are born. I saw Alice and Jasper yesterday and God, do they look tired. Elise and Natalie are a handful. But I'm with you, okay? Besides, our son doesn't have only one, but two chances now."

She gave me a smile and pulled me in for a hug. Her hair smelled good and made me feel at home. I hugged her back with my arms around her waist and that moment felt so intimate that for a second I almost forgot we weren't together. God, I couldn't allow myself to get so head over heels for her, she was still married. I hated to think that maybe my dad was right the whole time and that I always had feelings for Bella. Now was so not the time. She still wanted to rekindle her marriage and I just didn't want to be that guy.

"Thank you." her sweet voice said next to my ear "I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."

We let go of each other and I just gave her a shy smile before entering Seth's room, where he was asleep.

* * *

That night, Bella told me to go home and get some rest and I accepted her suggestion. It was almost winter and I hated how cold the house was. In spite of everything, Tanya was a good roommate and I didn't like going home to be alone. Not to mention that I missed Bella a lot. Sometimes I wish we would just… live together like a real family. I know I sounded like a lovestruck teenager, but I could imagine us together. Sadly, it was never going to happen.

I had just finished eating the food I'd ordered when my cell phone rang. To my complete surprise, it was Kate.

"Hello?"

"Edward?" her voice sounded so much like Tanya's I almost hung up.

"Hey, Kate. Is everything okay?"

She took a deep breath.

"Well, yeah. How's Seth?"

I briefly told her about the change of chemo medication, but thought it was best not to tell her about Bella's pregnancy. Who knew what Tanya could do.

"I'm calling you because I have something to tell you. I wasn't going to, but this has gone on for too long now."

My heart started beating faster because that didn't sound good.

"Uh… right? What is it?"

She sighed and then told me,

"Tanya's almost four months pregnant, Edward."

 **[A/N: I loooooove me some drama. Please review. See you soon!]**


	12. Chapter 11

**[A/N: Well, hello, there! Long, long, LONG time no see! I'm sorry about that. I went to Brazil to see my mom. I thought I would find some time to write and publish while I was away, but I really couldn't. Presidential elections are happening over there and the atmosphere's just weird, so it messed with my head a little. Some of you asked me about the timeline and why Tanya's pregnancy is so advanced. They spent the last weekend of August in Seattle. At this point, it's almost Christmas, so it makes sense for her to be almost four months pregnant. As always, thank you SO MUCH for your lovely reviews! I hope you like this chapter! See you at the bottom.]**

* * *

After a long talk with Kate, my head felt heavy with unanswered questions. She asked me to meet them at the next doctor's appointment and I agreed to go. Not because I wanted to see Tanya, but because there were so many things I wanted to ask her.

I knew for a fact she had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. She had like three or four periods a year and the doctors always said it would be difficult for her to get pregnant without planning or treatment. She took medication to try and control her hormones, but we never were very careful to avoid a pregnancy and nothing had ever happened. I never took her for a cheater, never had any reasons to believe that, but the truth is that after the day she turned off my phone, I didn't know if I could believe her anymore. And why the hell she hadn't told me anything? Kate swore on their dead mother that the baby was mine, and the conception date matched the days we went to Seattle. Still, I didn't know if I could count on that.

I decided not to tell anyone, much less Bella, about what was happening until I knew for certain. God knows she could use some peace of mind.

* * *

A couple of days after Kate called me, it was Christmas. To us, it was not exactly a happy date, but we tried to keep it up for Seth. Our families were both there to see him, and so was Jacob, who looked distraught about something. He and Bella barely spoke and his phone rang more than once. Something was not right and I could tell it had nothing to do with the fact that he and Bella were falling apart or that my son was sick. There was something else entirely on his mind.

As for Bella, she rarely ever left the hospital now, what with doctors monitoring her all the time. Seth was stable again, and at least that was good news to me. Ali and Jas got Elise and Natalie tested to see if they could be a match to Seth, but neither were. Not even close. I only hoped my son would stay strong until the babies were born. They were knowingly a match, at least.

The day after Christmas, Tanya had the last doctor's appointment before New Year's, according to Kate. I agreed to meet them there, and so I went. Not wanting to tell Bella anything about it just then, I simply said I would go home to eat something and take a shower. Seth was still asleep.

The doctor's office was fairly close to the hospital, just a fifteen-minute drive. I recognized Kate's car in the driveway and then went it. She was sitting on one of the fancy armchairs and the receptionist looked up at us with a raised eyebrow before looking back to the computer screen.

"Where is she?" I asked Kate, not feeling in the mood for small talk.

"I'm good, Edward, thank you for asking. Long time no see."

I rolled my eyes and looked at her again, my eyes clearly demanding an answer. Kate sighed.

"She's inside with the doctor. They're going to find out the gender today. She doesn't know you're here."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

She sighed and patted the armchair next to hers so I would sit down.

"Listen, she found out she was pregnant at almost three months. You know Tanya doesn't get her periods a lot, so there was no such thing as being late. Then she started feeling sick and that's when she decided to see a doctor. He said she was 11 weeks pregnant then. She must be 15 or 16 now, I'm not sure. The reason why she didn't want me to tell you is-"

Just then, the door opened and Tanya came out. When our eyes met, she didn't seem happy at all.

"What the hell are you doing here?" then she turned to Kate "What is he doing here?"

Just then, the receptionist got up, feeling the tension and told us to leave. She must have seen that scene many times already. Then Kate rose from her seat.

"We should leave and take this conversation somewhere else. I haven't had breakfast and I'm starving." turning to Tanya, she said "You know it was the right thing to do, so you can yell at me all you want when we go home, but right now you two are going to talk. I won't have it any other way."

We all left and I followed Kate's car to a sort of cafe near there. Tanya wouldn't even glance my way as we ordered our food.

"So," Kate said "Why don't you tell Edward everything?"

Tanya looked like she could shoot Kate with her bare eyes.

"I'm fifteen weeks pregnant. Turning sixteen next week." she said as if it was no big deal and threw a folder my way. Her exams and ultrasound shots were all there. That day's report said it was a boy.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I didn't want you to know."

"Why not? Aren't I the father?" I said sarcastically.

"I wish you weren't. I've moved on, Edward. I'm seeing someone else and I'm fucking thrilled. Besides, I don't want my child to have your genes. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that."

I knew she was talking about the risk of having a child who could perhaps develop leukemia, and that was a low blow, even for her.

"You're such a bitch, you know that? Besides, if you've moved on, how can you be sure this child is mine?"

She just shrugged.

"I don't care what you think. When I started seeing this person, I was already pregnant. The conception date matches the last days we were together, including that weekend in Seattle. I didn't cheat on you, but you know what? If you don't believe me, I don't care. You can have a DNA test when Austin's born or not, if you don't want to. I won't mind if I never see your face and Bella's ever again. How's _her_ pregnancy coming along, by the way?" she said venomously.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I hadn't told Kate anything about it, and judging by the look on her face, she didn't know.

"How do you know that?"

Then, it was as if all blood had drained from Tanya's face. I knew no one in my family had told her anything, so it just left…

"Jacob. You're going out with Jacob, aren't you?" she just stared back at me without a word. Kate blushed a deep shade of red, which meant I was right in my assumptions. Suddenly, his behavior made total sense.

"He's still married to Bella, you do know that, right?"

She shrugged.

"He's going to divorce her soon. Neither of us want anything to do with your perfect little happy family, Edward. That's why I didn't tell you. We want to start over and you're not going to spoil that."

"Well, it's my child we're talking about. I couldn't care less what you want. We can do this the easy way and then we can both go on with our lives co-parenting, or we can do this the hard way and I get full custody."

"You can't do that." there was a hint of fear in her voice.

"Try me."

There was an awful silence before she said,

"I hate you."

"You're not my favorite person either."

After a long silence, she gave in.

"Fine. But I don't want anything to do with you or _her_."

"I can assure you we don't want anything to do with you either."

We started talking details like doctor's appointments, the DNA test, the name, which she'd already picked up, and other stuff. I get up to leave and then tell her,

"Get Jacob to divorce Bella. You know you don't deserve that and neither does she."

For the first time that day, we just looked at each other like two people who had shared a history and once cared about each other. She just nodded and I left.

* * *

Just as I arrived at the hospital, Jacob was leaving through the front door. I walked up to him and said,

"Can I have a word with you?" I didn't give him a chance to say no before I started talking "Do you know who I was just with? Tanya. I know she's pregnant, she told me it's mine and she accidentally let it slip that you are seeing each other. I know for a fact you and Bella are not divorced yet and I can tell you she has no idea you're seeing Tanya. So I'm going to say it just once. You have one week to come clean to her about this, or else I'm going to tell her myself. You want to be with my ex-girlfriend and be a stepfather to my kid? Fine. It wouldn't be the first time. But you're not going to do a thing behind Bella's back. Not on my watch. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Not giving him a chance to reply, I got in the hospital and went straight to the pediatric ward. Bella was asleep on the armchair next to Seth's bed, her book hanging from her hands. She did that a lot those days. Her face was rounder than usual and she was showing already. Seth was working on a coloring book and looked good that day.

"Hey, daddy."

"Hey, Seth." I sat next to him and started helping him with the coloring book. When Bella woke up, she looked at us and smiled. My heart started beating faster and then I noticed I was so screwed. I can't believe that woman had me head over heels in love with her after all that time.

* * *

[BPOV]

A few days after New Year's, Edward and I had gone out to have something to eat while Carlisle stayed with Seth. He insisted that we went out to get distracted and talk. After taking a shower and putting on some fancier clothes, I confess I had a kind of date vibe from the whole thing. Of course it was ridiculous. It was just a meal outside the hospital for two exhausted parents who weren't even together.

He had told me everything about Tanya being pregnant and also about her being with someone else. From her words, I had a feeling she wasn't lying about her son being Edward's, but I didn't trust her anyways. I had a feeling she had planned everything. I just hoped she would leave him alone and move on with whoever. We had enough on our plates without having to worry about her.

Edward and I went to the same restaurant of our first date, years and years before. I ordered the same mushroom ravioli and we started talking about random stuff. Edward and I had grown so close and my second pregnancy made us bond even more. I was being closely watched because one of the babies was not developing as expected for some reason. He was there every step of the way. We told Seth that I was pregnant just a few days before and he was thrilled. When Edward told him that Tanya was pregnant too, he was confused at first, but he liked it just as much. The only thing is that he was confused as to why his dad and mom were having babies together if they were married to other people. Carlisle helped us explain how my babies had been made and he seemed to understand.

Jake and I barely ever talked anymore, and I really thought of filing for divorce. But I had a lot on my mind. He would come and see Seth often, which was good. At least he knew my son had nothing to do with our situation. Sometimes I thought that I should have tried harder to make things work with him. I really didn't know where things had gone wrong.

We were eating when Edward said,

"Do you think being pregnant is helping you cope better with everything?"

That was a tough question, but I got his point.

"I think so. It's… hope, you know. We have the solution to everything, we just have to… buy some time and this is quite scary. It doesn't depend on us anymore."

He nodded slowly.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same. And I don't know… since I split up with Tanya, things have been clearer in my head. And I'm happy we've become closer lately. It's good to have you."

He held my hand and we smiled at each other.

"It's good to have you, too. It feels like a lot has changed since we had his diagnosis, and I'm glad it did, in some ways."

So we finished eating and he insisted on paying for everything. We drove back to the hospital in comfortable silence and I took a look at him. Edward had changed a lot those last few months. His handsome face looked tired and he was very serious, resembling very little of the easy going guy I had met almost seven years before. I probably had changed a lot, too. Jake could probably say that.

* * *

We got out of the car and walked together to pediatric ward. Just when we reached the elevator did I realize we were holding hands. Physical contact was something that had been happening a lot more between us. Not anything out of the ordinary, of course, and I guess it just reflected how our friendship was growing stronger.

When we got to Seth's room, he was asleep and looking exhausted. Then, Carlisle came up and told us,

"He felt sick after taking the medications, but it's alright now. He should feel better tomorrow."

A few minutes later, he left, and all the nice atmosphere we got from dinner was gone, worry back with full force. I was seeing a therapist, which meant I didn't break down as often as I once did, but at that moment, I was just plain scared. The possibility that my son wouldn't live to see their siblings come to the world and give him a chance of healing hurt me too much.

Edward must have sensed that I wasn't feeling too bubbly, because he sat next to me on the couch and put an arm over my shoulder. Without a word, he pulled me close and wiped a single tear that fell down my cheeks. The good thing is that I didn't even need to tell him what was on my mind anymore. He probably felt the same. For a second, I just let the tears fall and then let myself enjoy the warmth his arms provided. In no time, I must have fallen asleep, since I fell asleep anywhere anytime those days.

* * *

The next day, when I woke up, Seth was feeling better. Edward took him to play with the other kids at the playroom, so I took that opportunity to go to my house and grab some clean clothes. God knows I needed them. And I made a mental note to see Dr. Lake. I was getting some cramps. They were not too bad, and she said they were normal to a certain extent, but I would feel better once I saw her.

When I got there, I noticed Jake's car was in the driveway. I went upstairs and he was packing his stuff into a huge suitcase.

"Jake?"

He looked at me and stopped what he was doing.

"Hey, Bella. How are you doing?" his tone was way too formal, but I wasn't having any of it.

"You're leaving." It was not a question. He never denied it.

"I'm sorry."

We stood there in silence and he went back to packing. Just like that.

"Could you please tell me… where you're going? Are we divorcing? Should I expect you to see my son at the hospital? Were you going to tell me?"

He looked at me again and rolled his eyes a tiny bit.

"Listen. This is not working anymore, Bella. It hasn't for a long time now. I get it. Your son's sick. I'm sorry about it. I get it that his father's going to be around a lot. I get it that you're going to spend a long time at the hospital. But you just pushed me away completely, Bella. You and Edward shut yourselves in a bubble. I see the way you look at each other. I never got that look from you. Anyway, that's not the point. I don't see how we can make things work again. I love Seth, and we were quite happy. But I'm not going through this anymore. I'm sorry. I can't. I wish you all the best, but…"

I just nodded, unable to believe that was actually happening. I could understand his point, but I just didn't know how to react right then.

"Besides… I'm seeing someone else, you know. I didn't plan on it. Things just happened and I… fell for her. I'm sorry."

I don't know where that came from, but suddenly, something clicked inside my head.

"It's Tanya, right?"

Jake looked straight into my eyes, but didn't reply. That was all the answer I needed, so I just nodded, unable to keep that conversation going. While I grabbed my clothes, he tried to say something, but I just said,

"Forget it. Just… send me the papers and I'll sign them. I'll have Emmett pick up my stuff and we can sell the house. Or you can stay with it. We can burn it down. I don't care. Just… never mind. And please don't come over to the hospital anymore. I don't think it's a good idea. Please."

I didn't stay long enough to listen to anything else. I just drove back, even forgetting about the cramps. I wasn't happy, of course. But I guess that was the closure I needed from my marriage end. The rest was just paperwork.

* * *

When I got back to the hospital, I told Edward what happened and he seemed kind of relieved. Then he told me that he knew, but gave Jake the chance to tell me himself. I was a little mad, but I could see where he came from eventually.

Later that day, I ended up falling asleep on the armchair next to Seth's bed, as usual. Edward had gone out to grab some shampoo and other drugstore items. Suddenly, a sharp pain jolted me awake. It took me a while to situate myself and feel where the ache was coming from. Then, I noticed my back hurt and the bottom of my stomach was killing me. Just when I got up, I noticed my jeans were stained in red.

I was bleeding. A lot.

 **[A/N: Oh, well. Please review :) ]**


	13. Chapter 12

**[A/N: Hello there! Thank you for the amazing response to my story! I'm having a blast bringing it to life! We're reaching critical points here! I hope you enjoy and pleaaaase review :) ]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

* * *

[EPOV]

I had just returned to the hospital from the drugstore. I decided to pick up some stuff for Bella, since she'd been complaining that she'd ran out of shampoo and conditioner and didn't really enjoy using the small samples the hospital provided. Things were already difficult enough for us, so I figured I would at least make her feel a little better.

The last two days were hard on her. First Seth was not doing good at all, and that also worried me. I'd never seen him so frail in my whole life. Sometimes he wouldn't even play with the other kids because he just didn't feel good. Second, Bella met Jacob and he'd finally told her about Tanya. Of course she wasn't happy about it. Also, she was feeling some cramps that had me pretty worried, but Dr. Lake told us it was normal to a certain extent. One of the babies was not developing very well and I had a very bad feeling about that.

I got to our floor just in time to see Bella being put in a gurney, a trail of blood staining her jeans. I tried to go after her, but one of the nurses stopped me and said Dr. Lake would talk to me soon. Disappointed and worried, I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath. I just hoped she wouldn't miscarry. I don't know what she would do if that happened.

From my peripheral vision, I noticed Seth's eyes on me from inside the room. I walked in and noticed he was a little scared.

"Hey, son." I tried to smile so that he wouldn't be too worried, but obviously, kids were very perceptive.

"Is mom okay?" even his voice sounded different. Everything about that situation had me worried. It's like I was drowning.

"The doctors took her just to be sure. I'll tell you as soon as I know, okay?"

He nodded, but his expression didn't change, so I brought him close in a hug. I could feel his ribcage against my hands and his seemed smaller than ever as they clutched on my sweater.

While we waited for the news, my father walked into the room. Judging by the time, he was probably on a break.

"Hey, there!" he had a warm smile to Seth and then looked at me. I noticed something was up. "Edward, Dr. Lake wants to see you. They're on the third floor, room 302. I'll be with Seth."

I nodded and left the room. Taking the stairs, I was there in less than two minutes. Room 302 was just in front of the nurses' station. I could see Dr. Lake setting up an ultrasound machine and Bella not looking good at all. Once she saw me, her eyes lit up a little, like she was relieved to see me, so I walked in and sat on a chair next to her bed. Dr. Lake nodded my way and spread a gel on Bella's stomach.

"We only heard one heartbeat, Mr. Cullen. That's why I'm checking with the ultrasound."

Somehow, I knew that would happen. I don't really know how, but I knew. We saw the outlines of the two babies, one of them was much smaller. And then, a loud heartbeat filled the room, which was good, I guessed. At least one of the babies was doing okay. Then, Dr. Lake pointed the probe to where the other baby seemed to be… and the silence was deafening. She tried again, but nothing happened.

I risked a glance at Bella and her expression was just empty. I'd never seen her like that before. Dr. Lake looked like she didn't know what to do or what to say. The whole hospital knew about our situation and I guess it was just uncomfortable for her as well.

"Well…" she turned to us "I'm sorry, Mrs. Black and Mr. Cullen. One of the fetuses definitely doesn't have a heartbeat."

Bella's expression didn't change for a second. She just nodded. Even though she didn't express any feelings, I knew that deep down she was just as heartbroken and worried as I was.

"What about the other one?"

Dr. Lake took another look at the screen.

"The other baby's fine. I'm sorry, you guys. Unfortunately it's a common occurrence when you're pregnant with multiples."

We were silent for a few minutes. Then, Bella asked in an unusual flat tone,

"Do you have to… I don't know… take the deceased fetus… out or something? God, this is awful."

Dr. Lake seemed even more uncomfortable with Bella's question, if that was even possible.

"Well… so far, it doesn't seem to be necessary. Usually, the body can… absorb fetal tissue in these conditions. The remaining fetus will grow and use all room available, so… yeah, you get the idea."

That was a little disturbing. Basically she was saying that eventually the baby would crush the body of its deceased sibling. I knew in my head it was way more sinister than in reality and it probably happened a lot and mothers didn't even realize, but I was a little horrified anyway.

"It's not what it sounds" Dr. Lake must have seen my expression "What matters is that we don't have to interfere. The body will take care of it." She turned to Bella "Given the circumstances, I do want you to be on bedrest for a while so we can monitor your baby closely until you stop bleeding, okay?"

Bella just nodded. Dr. Lake turned off the ultrasound and got up.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while before the nurses come to get you." without waiting for me to reply, she left.

I held Bella's hand in mine and didn't dare ask her if she was okay. So much had happened those last few weeks, I'm sure she hadn't had time to process anything. Without thinking too much, I sat down on the hospital bed next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on my chest and I could feel her sigh heavily. Talking was useless, I knew she had to take her time, so we just laid there together.

When the nurse said she would be admitted to another room, I got up, still holding her hand.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked in a low voice, looking straight into her sad and deep brown eyes. She just shook her head.

"Seth needs you. I'll be fine. We can talk later."

I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and left the room. Back to Seth's, my dad was still there. They were playing with dinosaur puppets and Seth was laughing hard. It was amazing to see how happy he still got over such simple things.

* * *

I exchanged a brief glance with my dad and he just nodded. He told Seth he'd be back later and came to where I was standing, just outside the door.

"So, what happened? Bella didn't look good when Dr. Lake asked me to call you."

I ran a hand through my hair, that lately was falling out in chunks, it seemed.

"Um… one of the babies is dead. The other one is doing fine. Bella was admitted just to be safe."

My dad nodded and laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope everything turns out alright with the other baby. I'll be there to check on her later. Anyway… I should be going. There are a few patients I need to see."

"Thank you, Dad."

He left and I went into Seth's room. Of course he knew something was up. He resembled me a lot, but he had the same look on his face as Bella when they thought something was wrong.

"Where's Mom?" he didn't even give me time to sit down.

"She will be in another room for the night. The doctor just wants to be sure everything's alright with your mom and the baby." We hadn't told Seth Bella was pregnant with twins because one of the babies didn't look too well since the beginning. Now was not the time to tell him, either.

"Is she okay?" he asked, still unsure.

"She will be, buddy. In no time she'll be here again and you'll have a new sibling."

He smiled.

"Can I pick a name? Mom said I could!"

I sat down next to him and turned on the TV so we could watch a movie.

"Of course you can."

We started watching some cartoon. I wasn't exactly paying too much attention, and neither was Seth. I could tell.

"What is it, son?"

His eyes met mine and he bit his lip, much like Bella did whenever she was worried.

"I hope I get to see my little brothers or sisters."

That sentence felt like a slap to my face. My eyes started to burn and I knew I wanted to cry. It was not fair that any six year-old should be scared of dying in less than a year. What was I going to say? I hoped he got to see his siblings come to this world as well. Hell, I hoped they got the chance to grow up together. I wanted my son to see his parents together. I wanted him to pick stupid fights with a younger brother and protect a younger sister. I wanted him to go to Prom and fall in love. I wanted him to get married and have kids. I wanted Seth to have it all. Knowing that there was a huge possibility he wouldn't live to see the next Christmas made my chest feel tighter as I'd never felt. Fat tears streamed down my cheeks before I could stop them. Seth put his little arms around me in a comforting hug and it was just wrong. I should be the one comforting him, not the other way around.

I held him close and tried to come up with something to say, but he interrupted me

"Let's just watch the movie, Daddy."

So we did. Of course I didn't pay much attention to it, Seth's words still reverberated in my mind. Everyday that went by I was grateful that he was still with us, but also worried that he wouldn't be the next. It made me cherish every little moment we spent together. And also made me realize there was no way I would ever be ready to live without him.

After the nurses checked on him for the last time that night, he fell asleep peacefully. I tried to lay down on that very small sofa, and I would have fallen asleep anyway, had I not been thinking about Bella nonstop.

* * *

It was past two in the morning when I decided to get up and find Bella's room. I know the nurses would probably kill me if they saw me wandering around the hospital, especially to bother another patient, but I had at least to see if she was okay. I took the stairs again and went into the obstetric ward. A nurse was sitting in the nurse's station, her back to me. I tried to take a peek at the board where they had the patients' names and room numbers. Bella was at 314 now. So I went quietly down the hall and slid the glass door open as quietly as possible. She had her back turned to the door and seemed to be asleep. I quietly walked in and shut the door behind me. Then, she slowly turned to my direction and I noticed she hadn't been asleep at all.

"Hey." she greeted quietly and I smiled. Bella motioned for me to sit next to her, so I took the armchair.

"How are you doing?"

"The bleeding has stopped." that's all she said. I didn't want to pressure her into talking, so I just kept quiet for a few minutes. When I noticed she was crying to the point where she was biting her lip to prevent a sob from escaping, I climbed into the bed with her.

"Hey...it's okay. Come on, let it out."

Bella instantly buried her face in my chest and let out a muffled sob. My shirt got instantly wet. I just rubbed her back and smoothened her hair as she let everything out. Of course I didn't like seeing her cry, but it was better than when she behaved like a zombie.

"I just…" she started saying "I felt so helpless. I know it happens a lot, especially in the first trimester… but I wasn't expecting to have a baby's heart stop beating inside my body. I feel like I failed as a mother, and I already feel that everyday when I see Seth in a hospital bed. I mean, where the hell did I go wrong? What should I have done to avoid this? What if I lose the other baby too? Then we'll lose the chance to save Seth and I just can't bear that thought!"

She cried harder and I brought her close again. Seth's words from earlier came to mind again and I just wanted to hold Bella close.

"None of this is your fault, Bella. No one could have seen this coming. You're an amazing mother. I promise."

She nodded and then said,

"I'm scared they'll all die, Edward."

Her words were blunt and upfront. Since we received Seth's biopsy results we had never used the words die and death when talking about him. Fear was crushing, and every time I saw him get a new bruise or lose another pound, it got real.

I took her face in my hands and gave her forehead a kiss. Then I kissed her cheek and next, I pressed my lips to hers. I don't know why. It wasn't sexual. I just wanted to feel connected to her and wanted Bella to know I was there for her. The strangest thing about it is that her lips were just as soft as I remembered.

She looked at me with her eyes a little wider than normal. I thought of apologizing, but she was faster.

"Thank you." she said, blushing a deep shade of red. I just nodded and she leaned her head inside the curve of my neck. Judging by her steady breathing just a few minutes later, I could tell she fell asleep.

Around four in the morning, I saw nurses moving outside. It was time to go. I didn't want Seth to wake up alone in his room anyway. Carefully, I got up from bed and kissed Bella's forehead again. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully and I hoped that being forced to be on bedrest would at least make her catch up on her sleep.

* * *

[BPOV]

I was discharged two days later, but Dr. Lake was adamant that I had to take it easy as much as I could. Scans were much more regular, almost weekly now, and everything seemed to be doing okay with the baby.

The news that I was splitting up from Jacob ran fast. My parents were not happy at all, especially Charlie. They also didn't acknowledge my new pregnancy very well because they thought it was a mistake to have another child with Edward and an even worse mistake to have a child to save another. I had spoken to Em and Rose on the phone and they were supportive enough of the new baby. They also told me I had done the right thing to break up with Jake.  
Every once in a while, they would see Seth at the hospital, but it had been so long since the last time we'd sat down and talked. I was so ready to get out of that hell and have some of my old life back.

Alice and Jasper were as present as having three kids allowed them to be. Ali was a rock to us throughout those times and she was thrilled to have another nephew or niece. All in all, the Cullens were more supportive and present than my own family, and that made me sad. Sometimes I didn't want anything to do with my parents ever again, but most of the time I was just disappointed that we couldn't even have a decent phone conversation without it turning into an argument.

As for my pregnancy, I wasn't really that excited, for the moment being I was just scared. I tried not to keep my expectations so high in case something bad happened, because at that point in my life, I was just waiting for when things would go wrong.

Edward and I were closer than ever before. We were together almost 24/7, he knew everything about how I felt, and I knew all that was happening in his life. He and Tanya were talking and he often met her and Kate to join them in a doctor's appointment and that kind of stuff. He said the baby was doing great and Tanya had agreed to test Austin once he was born. The odds that he would be a match to Seth weren't that high, since they had different mothers, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

He was treating me a lot nicer, of course, to a point where he started treating me like he had never before. Rosalie said he was in love with me, and Carlisle said some stuff along those lines, as well. I actually didn't believe that. I guess we were just two people on the same boat who had mostly each other for support. Of course, when he kissed me out of nowhere, it got me wondering, but I don't think that was the case.

I didn't even know how I felt about relationships anymore. I had never imagined my marriage would break up that way. All my priorities were set on making my son get better and nothing else. That was another subject entirely. Seth was not getting any better. Dr. Smithers told us that we needed that transplantation soon, because chemo was not doing its job so well anymore. He was getting skinnier and more tired with each passing day. That was very difficult to watch. I didn't even look through the photos in my phone anymore, because he resembled almost nothing the child he had been less than a year before.

I got a little more excited the first time I felt the baby move. Seth was watching TV and Edward was asleep on the couch next to me, his head resting on my shoulder. Then, I felt a small fluttering in my stomach. The first time I felt that during Seth's pregnancy, I almost screamed. It was a strange feeling. That day, though, it was more welcome than ever. I softly put a hand on the spot where I'd felt the movement and felt it again. It's almost like baby and I were talking to each other.

Edward joined me for a scan one week after I felt baby moving for the first time. Dr. Lake took my measurements and told me I looked much better since I had started eating and sleeping right. Edward agreed with her.

I laid down on the medical table and felt the familiar cold gel against my skin. The probe moved around my stomach until she spotted the familiar shape. She took all the measurements she needed and then looked at us again.

"Would you like to know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"Can you tell?" I rose my head from the bed, even though I couldn't tell what was happening in that screen if my life depended on it.

"It seems so."

I looked at Edward and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure." I said.

"Congratulations. You're having a baby girl."

We went back to our room. I was glad to have a girl because I had always wanted to have both experiences, and now I would. Random images of what she would look like went through my mind. Now I was actually enjoying the fact that I was having a baby.

Seth and Carlisle were there waiting for us. My son opened his big trademark smile when he saw us and stuck out his arms so we could hug.

"Hey, honey! How are you doing today?"

He shrugged.

"I'm good. Grandpa and I were talking about rockets and other planets!"

I smiled. It was great that he and Carlisle got to spend so much time together, at least.

"We have news for you." Edward said, "You're having a baby sister."

Seth looked at me with a toothy grin.

"Is it true?"

I nodded and he gave me another hug.

"Daddy said I could pick her name. Can I?"

I exchanged a glance with Edward. I just hoped Seth wouldn't pick a weird name.

"What's your suggestion, honey?"

He seemed deep in thought for a second, then his face lit up.

"Skylar."

I knew Skylar was the name of one of his best friends from school. She was a sweet little girl and her mother was always very nice to me.

"That's a pretty name!" Carlisle said. I looked at Edward and he seemed to have approved as well.

"Alright, then. Skylar it is."

* * *

[EPOV]

Two months went by. Seth didn't get any better, if anything, his condition worsened. I was more and more worried each day, even though we had only less than four months to go before Skylar was with us, that seemed like a hell of a long time to wait seeing how he was.

Even though we were worried, things were going good. Both Bella and Tanya's pregnancies were going well and even though Seth was not well, the doctors were working hard to slow down the progress of the disease. Sometimes it was easier to believe that things would be alright.

Until one day, something happened.

I was in his room, like always. Bella was reading a book on the couch and Seth was playing something on her cellphone. Then, a nurse I knew to work with my father came in to the room. She looked like she had run there.

"Mr. Cullen?"

"Hey, Veronica. Is everything okay?"

"Your dad asked me to get you. Something happened."

I got up from the armchair and ran out of the room. In my head, he was having a heart attack or a stroke or something like that. I wasn't prepared to see what I saw.

Tanya was laying down on a stretcher, awake and responsive, yes, but also screaming. A thin streak of blood was coming from a gash in her eyebrow. I noticed Kate was standing next to where I was.

"Kate! What happened?"

She looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time.

"Edward, thank goodness you're here! We were walking together at the park then a kid hit her with a bike and she fell. It seemed like no big deal until she started having contractions!"

Tanya's eyes met mine and I saw she was just terrified.

"Edward, don't let me lose my baby!" she yelled at me before they put her on a gurney and took her away.

 **[A/N: Oh, drama. I love drama. Review! Next chapter will come soon!]**


	14. Chapter 13

**[A/N: Hi there! Thank you for your amazing reviews and for taking time to read my story! I'm really excited to share this chapter with you! I hope you like it and please review! :D ]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

"Edward, don't let me lose my baby!" she yelled at me before they put her on a gurney and took her away.

The next few minutes were hell. Jacob was there, too, but we barely paid any attention to each other. I saw everything from a small distance. They did an ultrasound. Austin was alive, but in fetal distress. His heartbeat was slow. Aside from Tanya's cut in her eyebrow, she was okay.

Then, they decided to rush her to an OR. I barely even knew what was going on. When I asked the nurse if I could watch the delivery, she said I couldn't, because it would be an emergency C-section. I suddenly felt very bad for Tanya. I know we weren't on the best terms, but still, she was so scared. Also, I'm sure she wouldn't be put under general anesthesia and since she was only 28 weeks along, Austin obviously wouldn't cry when he came to the world. She probably wouldn't even get to see him immediately. No mom should have to go through that alone.

* * *

About two hours later, I was waiting for news in Seth's room with Bella. He was asleep and Bella was reading, like always, running a hand on her prominent stomach. She was heartbroken when I told them what happened to Tanya. I guess being pregnant made her scared that the same would happen to her, since she was so accident-prone, and I noticed she barely left her armchair if she could help it.

Then, I noticed Kate came up to Seth's door and waved at me. Bella nodded and motioned for me to go talk to her, so I did.

"Hey. Any news?"

"Austin's in the NICU. They told me I could see him as long as one parent went with me, so… Would you like to see him?"

That shouldn't even be a question. Of course I did. So we walked down the corridors of the hospital to the neonatal wing.

"How's Tanya?"

"Still recovering from the anesthesia. They don't know when she'll be able to see him, though."

When we got in the NICU, I told them who I was and they made Kate and I change into scrubs and a disposable gown.

"Austin's a big baby for his age, which is good. He'll have to be here for a couple of months, though. Right now he's being fed through an IV, but soon we can change it to a feeding tube. You can try and see if he grasps your finger, but that's about as much physical contact we can allow you to have for the time being."

I took a deep breath. Who knew how long it would be before I could actually hold my son in my arms?

I approached his incubator and there he was. His legs and arms moved a bit, but he never opened his eyes. The diaper they had put on him looked way too large, even though I knew it was the smallest size available. He had an IV in his arm and tubes going through his nose to help him breathe. It was heartbreaking to have not one, but two sons in the hospital in critical condition.

Slowly, I slid a hand through the opening in the incubator. His skin felt fragile, even thinner than in full term babies, and I could see the veins underneath. Then, my finger slightly caressed his tiny hand… and he wrapped his minuscule fingers around mine with surprising force for a premature newborn.

The emotion I felt when I first held Seth in my arms hit me again. Nothing could have prepared me for that. A few tears escaped my eyes and I was overjoyed with emotion all of a sudden. Of course I still wanted to get a DNA test, but in that moment I knew there was no way he wasn't mine.

* * *

We just stood there for about ten minutes until I noticed Kate was waiting impatiently for her turn with her first nephew. Slowly, I slid my hand out and Kate was there, saying something softly. We both left after a few minutes, her eyes glassy with tears.

"This is not how I imagined this, you know. Not at all."

"Me neither." I said. "Not any of this. With any of my children."

"Speaking of, how are Bella and the baby?"

"They're both doing fine. We can't wait for Skylar to be here as well."

She smiled.

"You do know Dr. Smithers retrieved Austin's cord to test it, right? Tanya authorized her."

I rose my eyebrows.

"I didn't know that, but yeah, it makes a lot of sense. I just hope they can use it. I'm not sure how much longer Seth can… you know."

Saying that made my heart feel very heavy. She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I know things haven't been the best between us, Edward. But I want you to know that I know my sister did you and Bella wrong. I just hope we can live in peace now that Austin's here."

"Of course, Kate. I never had a thing against you, and neither does Bella. We're family now."

I went back to Seth's room and told him and Bella about Austin. Seth was excited to meet his little brother and Bella smiled at us.

"I know it's terrifying, Edward. But babies are very strong. Riley had to be in the NICU as well, and they seem very fragile, but they're really not. You'll see."

I smiled at her and then took a seat next to her in the couch. Wrapping one arm around her shoulder felt almost natural now. I know people were starting to think we were a couple, even more so the newer staff at the hospital. We weren't. I had every intention that we became one again, but the timing was not great. I was glad to just be very close to her and be able to reassure our son and welcome our daughter into the world soon. When everything got fixed, we would be able to address our situation properly.

* * *

The next twelve hours were strangely blissful. From a distance, I saw Tanya standing next to Austin's incubator, Jake wrapping an arm around her. The doctors also gave permission for Seth and Bella to see him, but just for a little while. Austin was doing good, even better than expected, and I would be able to hold him soon.

But the best news were yet to come.

Dr. Smithers went into Seth's room a while later and asked to talk to Bella and I for a minute.

"We have great news." she said, with a big smile on her face. "We tested Austin's cord blood. He's not a perfect match, but he's a decent one. We can do a cord blood stem cell transplantation. Seeing as Seth's disease is advanced, it won't be a permanent solution, but it will be enough so that he can hold on until Skylar is here and is able to donate tissue."

My brain stopped processing anything at that moment. I was so used to drama by that point that I could barely believe what I was hearing. Seth finally had the chance we'd been waiting for. And even better, that meant Austin was actually my son. Bella just stared at Dr. Smithers agape, fat tears streaming down her cheeks.

I took her in my arms and hugged her tight. Her arms just fell limply by her sides because I'm sure she still hadn't realized what that meant.

"Oh, God." was the only thing she said before finally wrapping her arms around me as well. When we pulled back, it took me a lot of strength not to just kiss her right there and right in front of Dr. Smithers.

"We're going to get everything ready to do the procedure as soon as we can."

Bella had already gone inside and told Seth the good news. I know it was kind of a bold move, but that was amazing news and we wouldn't be able to contain ourselves any longer.

* * *

After my dad arrived to pay his daily visit to Seth, Bella decided she wanted to see Tanya, so we went. I'm not sure of what she wanted to talk to her about, but it was not bad.

Once we got there, Jake was with her, of course. They both looked at us with puzzled expressions, so Bella just spit it out.

"I'm here to thank you. I don't know if you know, but Austin and Seth are a good match and his stem cells will be used to help Seth get better until he can get a bone marrow transplant. Thank you for allowing your baby to be tested. It might have just saved my son's life."

Tanya looked back and forth between Bella and I and then smiled.

"It's the least I could do, Bella. Ever since Austin was born and I was scared of losing him, I've been meaning to apologize to you for what I did last August. Now I see what I could have caused you. So I'm sorry. I hope you two can forgive me."

Bella and I just nodded. I noticed Jake didn't even glance in our direction, so I pulled on Bella's arm gently so we could leave.

* * *

We didn't make any comment on that interaction. After my dad left and Seth was already asleep, Bella and I were sitting on the couch together, looking through some old pictures of Seth. Knowing that he would get better didn't make us feel sad about looking at them any longer.

"He was such a cute baby. Thank you for him." I said.

She lifted her head to look at me and then I realized how close our faces were. This time, I didn't have the time to think about how much I wanted to kiss her, because she did. Her soft lips were very warm against mine and for a second, I froze. Before I could respond to the kiss, she pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really happy, that's all." she said standing up and going into the bathroom.

After twenty minutes, she still hadn't left the bathroom, and I know it was because she didn't want to face me. So I knocked lightly.

"I'll… um… I'm going to see Austin, okay? I hope they allow me to. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." I heard her say and then left. Sure enough, when I looked from a distance, I saw her getting out of the bathroom and sitting on her favorite armchair. I chuckled and shook my head. We definitely had a lot to talk about when that storm finally passed.

* * *

When I got to the NICU, the nurses said it was way past visiting time, but since I was the dad and Tanya was also there, they would make an exception. So I changed into scrubs and the disposable gown and stood next to her. Tanya was smiling down at Austin, and I honestly couldn't tell if he was asleep, because his eyes were always closed.

"Hey." I said softly.

"Edward. Do you want to…?" she motioned as if asking if I wanted to "hold" him.

"No, take your time. You haven't had much time with him."

She nodded.

"I can't… wait. To hold him… in my arms."

She sounded a little out of breath and I knit my eyebrows.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just… I've been short of breath for a few hours now, but it's no big deal. I was like that for the entire time I was pregnant."

We talked a bit about him and I noticed she was getting worse. Many times I asked her to take a seat, but she just dismissed me. At one point, I decided to call a nurse, just to check on her. And that's when I heard a gasp and she just fell backwards like she was a ragdoll.

A nurse came running to where we were and checked her vitals.

"GET A CRASH CART IN HERE!" she yelled to the other nurses "We have a code blue."

 **[A/N: We finally have a break from all the drama... don't we? LOL. Please review :D]**


	15. Chapter 14

**[A/N: Helloooo, there! I hope you had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year! Thank you for your lovely reviews, I'm very humbled by them. I hope you like this chapter, I loved writing it! The story will take a different turn from this chapter on, bear with me :) please review!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

The next few seconds were a blur. One of the nurses pushed me out of the room and I sat on one of the chairs near the door dumbfounded. I didn't know what was going on. All of a sudden, her heart just… stopped. I saw them inject medicine into her, try to shock her back to life… to no avail.

Throughout all the time I'd been with Tanya, I'd never imagined this was how things would end. The doctor that went in there seemed as shocked as me. After almost forty minutes later, I heard him call time of death. Everything felt surreal. I didn't have the guts to go inside and look at Tanya's lifeless body. As always, I froze.

When they wheeled her out, the doctor came to talk to me. He suspected pulmonary embolism had killed her. It was not unheard of after emergency c-sections. They would perform an autopsy. I told the social worker they should call Kate, who had gone home for the night, because there was no way I'd be able to. Not to mention Jacob. I didn't even want to think of him at that moment. I was not a fan of his, that's true, but he had had a rough time as well. It was not fair he would go through that big of a loss.

* * *

I don't know how long I sat there for, unmoving. I didn't know what to do next. I felt like my head was spinning. None of that felt real. I just wanted to wake up and find out that none of that had happened, find out that Seth was not ill, Tanya was not dead and everyone's life was not a complete mess. If hell existed, it must be really similar to that hospital.

I finally got up and slowly started walking in the direction of the stairs. My ultimate goal was to reach Seth's room, but just as I left the neonatal wing, I heard screaming. I knew that voice all too well, because it was so similar to Tanya's. Apparently, Kate was back at the hospital and aware of what happened.

My feet took me to where her voice was coming from. Soon enough I spotted her blonde hair. Kate's back was turned to me and it looked like she could barely stand up, so I carefully pulled her arm and turned her to me. Her eyes were so red and her shirt was completely wet with tears. I wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Kate."

Her entire body shook with sobs. I had never lost a family member that close, and had lived with that very fear for almost a year now. I noticed that Kate tried to say something, but was unable to. I slowly guided her to the nearby chairs and got her some water.

After a few minutes, she finally calmed down enough to ask me,

"How did this happen?" her eyes were not judging or angry, she just needed some kind of explanation.

"I don't know. I went to the NICU to see Austin and she was there. I noticed she was out of breath, but she said it was no big deal. Just as I was about to get a nurse to check on her, she fell backwards. They tried to resuscitate her…"

She just nodded and we fell silent. Then, she got up.

"I'm sorry. I need some time. I'll let you know when everything is arranged."

I knew she meant the funeral. I just nodded and she left. Slowly, I walked back to Seth's room. Bella was pretending to be asleep, and then I remembered that for her, the worry on her mind was the fact that she'd kissed me, so knowing Bella, she'd probably avoid me at all costs. Well, I wasn't having that.

"Bella" I shook her leg lightly. She pretended to wake up a little too fast.

"Yeah?" she sat up immediately because I guess my expression wasn't doing much to hide the fact that something bad had happened. "What is it?"

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Telling someone what had happened would make it real.

"Tanya… Tanya's… gone."

She blinked a few times, like Bella usually did whenever she had trouble coming to terms with something.

"What do you mean she's gone? Like…"

"Like threw a clot and dropped dead on the floor next to me." I knew it was cold of me to put it like that, but I was having trouble believing that myself. I had talked to her seconds before her death. How was that even possible?

"Oh my God." her eyes went wide "How… What… Are you okay?" she bit her lip and got up to give me a hug. I didn't answer her question and we didn't say much. I saw her looking at her phone after a few minutes and I'm sure she was wondering whether she should message Jacob or not. Judging by the fact that she shook her head slightly, I guess she decided to wait until things calmed down a bit.

* * *

The following week was crazy. After the autopsy was performed, the cause of Tanya's death was determined to be pulmonary embolism. Kate and I hadn't really talked a lot. Bella expressed her condolences to Jake, but he didn't answer. I didn't expect anything different.

Austin was gaining weight very slowly, but his progress was within expected. The doctors sounded way more optimistic about him now, and his little legs and arms moved a lot more. He even turned his head in my direction once. Also, even though I already knew what to expect, the DNA test results came out, and as I expected, Austin was really mine.

They also had Seth's procedure done that week, and as much as that was a new hope for him, it was also the week we felt more worried and anxious to know if it had worked. He was being closely monitored, of course.

After what happened to Tanya, I could tell Bella was even more careful, since she was so accident-prone, to the point she barely ever went home on her own anymore. The fact that she and Jacob were in the process of selling the house didn't help either. Whenever she needed to take a break, Em or Rose would come pick her up and she would crash at their place.

In the end of that week, there was the funeral. Tanya had a pretty small family, just Kate and her father, so my parents and Alice made a point of showing up. Jacob was there, too, of course. It was weird seeing her like that, lying still. She was young, had just had a baby and found love. It was not fair that she would not get to see Austin grow up or get married to someone she loved, like she'd always dreamed of doing.

Throughout all the time, it felt like I was looking at that scene from outside my own body. Denial was such a familiar strategy for me, I knew I would have to work through that, but for the time being, I just allowed myself to process the death of someone I had lived with for three years as it came to me.

I expressed my condolences to Kate and Tanya's father. I also told him to go see Austin whenever he felt like, but he told me he would wait for him to be discharged, since he didn't want to step foot in that hospital ever again.

Then, I approached Jacob. He looked just miserable, which was completely understandable.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Jacob." Yes, each person was dealing with her death differently, and I'm sure Jake was already in a bad place before Tanya's passing. I mean, he did go through a divorce and seeing the kid he treated as his own get very ill.

Jacob nodded at me.

"Yeah. Can you… can you tell Bella I'm sorry never replied to her message? I was… you know."

I shook my head.

"I'm sure she understands."

There was a heavy silence before I said,

"Listen, if you ever want to stop by to see the boys, just know you're welcome to do it. I know you were close to both of them."

He nodded like he was deep in thought.

"I care about them a lot and appreciate your offer. But for now, I need some time. I think I'll spend a few weeks with my parents or something."

"Yeah, I get it. I'll see you around, Jacob."

* * *

Three months later…

Seth's procedure did work, but not as we expected. He was doing a lot better, of course, but not as well as we hoped. Dr. Smithers said he was barely well enough to go through bone marrow transplantation once Skylar was born, which meant he had to be closely monitored so that his health wouldn't worsen. Even though we were very glad he was doing better than he had in months, it was a very stressful situation. He was now completely limited to his hospital room, but a lot happier. Just the fact the he wasn't being fed through a nasal tube anymore was already a relief.

Bella was huge and about to give birth any day now. After Tanya's passing, Jacob returned to Forks and that earned Bella a very angry call from Charlie. He was really upset and basically told Bella it was her fault, because if she hadn't neglected her marriage, he wouldn't have been with Tanya in the first place and wouldn't be going through so much pain now. It baffled me how he could take Jake's side like that and not give his own daughter a chance to explain herself. I totally got the fact that he hated my guts, and he probably wasn't too glad about Bella getting pregnant with my child for the second time. But Skylar and Seth didn't have anything to do with that. Also, all that happened because his grandson had a potentially fatal disease. What the hell was Charlie's problem?

Bella was really depressed over that, understandably so, and I tried to cheer her up as much as I could. Since I had bought a new house, she helped me choose colors for the nursery and all the furniture through a catalogue. I also bought clothes for Austin and Skylar, and we decided Bella and Seth would be staying at my new house until they found a place of their own. I was hoping I'd make her change her mind before that and we would be together, but I was taking nothing for granted.

She was able to work from the hospital now that Seth was doing better and that was a great distraction for her. Our daughter's upcoming arrival was really making things feel way calmer. As for Austin, he had been discharged two weeks before, completely fine. Since Tanya was no longer here, Bella was the first female to actually hold him in her arms, and she loved it. If one didn't know her, they would think for sure she was his mother. He was a strong little boy now, and I was sharing my time between staying at the hospital and staying home with him. When I was with Seth, my mom would usually have him. Sometimes Bella went to my place for the night and stayed with him while I stayed at the hospital. Austin was a good sleeper. I couldn't wait to have my three children at home with me, though.

* * *

One morning, I dropped Austin at my mom's house and went to the hospital. Surprisingly, I found Emmett in Seth's room with him. Bella was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, son!" I greeted Seth, who was still laughing hard about something his uncle had said. "Hey, man." Em and I exchanged handshakes "Uh, where's Bella?" It was not like her to be away when her brother was visiting.

"Oh, Rose's with her at room 507. Her water broke."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Why didn't anybody call me?"

Emmett's smile fell a little.

"Oh. I guess I was supposed to do that. My bad, man. But don't worry, doctor said she's nowhere near giving birth yet. You're fine."

While I ran to room 507, it came to my mind that we weren't expecting Skylar to be born for two more weeks. I just hoped that didn't mean anything bad.

When I got to Bella's room, she was walking around and talking to Rosalie like nothing was happening.

"Bella!" I was so relieved to see her that I threw my arms around her in a tight hug. Rosalie looked at me like she'd just realized something.

"Hey, Rose." I greeted and she waved back.

"Why didn't you tell me? I just got here."

Bella looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I asked Emmett to do that!"

"Well, I guess he forgot."

Both Bella and Rose rolled their eyes.

"How are you doing?" I asked and she shrugged.

"My water broke two hours ago and they got me an IV access. So far I'm not dilating and Dr. Lake tells me I have long hours ahead, so… So far, so good. I'm just scared because she's a little early, I'm just 37 weeks along, but Dr. Lake said she's fine."

* * *

The day went by slowly. Rose, Emmett and I took turns between staying with Bella and Seth. In the afternoon, Bella started to dilate and contract. She got really cranky, too, but let's not mention that. When Seth was born, Bella was in labor for ten and a half hours. When I looked at the clock, it was already midnight, which meant we were into nineteen hours now. Bella was in a great deal of pain and Dr. Lake decided to give her some medicine so she could get some sleep.

The next morning, at six in the morning, she was up again. The day went by slowly and Bella finally started to dilate and labor started progressing quickly. After a lot of pain and swearing on Bella's part, Skylar was born. She was a huge baby and I'd never felt more relieved and hopeful than when I heard her little cry. Bella held her with tears in her eyes and I cut the cord with shaking hands. After several minutes, I got to hold her. That same feeling of the first time I held Seth and the first time Austin grabbed my finger washed over me. It would never get old. It was still hard to tell who she looked like, but I could already tell she had Bella's nose. Skylar was precious.

I faintly heard Dr. Lake's voice in the background while she took notes,

"...born at 3:21 p.m, June 20…"

My head snapped up at her. I wasn't aware of the date!

I looked over at Bella, who had a huge smile on her face, in spite of looking tired.

"Happy Birthday." she told me.

And it was. The happiest so far.

 **[A/N: I felt bad for killing Tanya! Please, review! C ya! Xx]**


	16. Chapter 15

**[A/N: Hey, there! It's been a million years, I know. I'm sorry! Been through some major writer's block and took me a while to make peace with words and finally be able to write what I mean to write for this chap. Thank you for your patience. Also, thank you for the amazing reviews, reccs, follows and favs! Love you! Enjoy this chap!]**

BPOV

Skylar was perfect. As I sat on the bed and held her in my arms a few hours later, I started to notice her perfectly sculpted features. There was no telling who she resembled, but I had a feeling it would be Edward. I hadn't taken a good look at her eyes yet, but they were a greenish shade of blue, from what I could see. Dr. Lake told me she seemed to be in perfect health, and at that moment, it's like my life went a little back to normal. Amidst Seth's long stay at the hospital, my divorce, miscarrying a baby and Tanya's death, it seemed like everything just went by me in a blur. Now that she was here, it was like I was breathing for the first time after being underwater for too long. Time had finally stopped for a while.

I heard the door to my room opening and rose my head. Seth came in holding Edward's hand and opened a big smile when he saw his little sister in my arms. He carefully approached us, as if he was scared of waking her up or something, but I already knew she was a good sleeper, at least for now.

"Hey, honey." I stroked his hand "This is Skylar."

I'd never seen Seth so amazed in his life. Of course he had a similar reaction when he first met Austin, but since he was in the NICU, he had never interacted with a newborn so close before.

"She's so cute, Mom. Can I hold her?"

Edward and I exchanged a glance and he nodded.

"Of course, son. Sit down and I'll help you hold her, okay?"

Eagerly, Seth sat on the armchair next to my bed and Edward leaned down to take Skylar from my arms. He was much better at handling newborns now than when Seth was born. I watched as he placed Skylar in Seth's waiting arms and instructed him to hold her head the right way. The smile never left his face and she didn't even move. After making sure he wouldn't drop Skylar, Edward took a picture of them. Seth only let go of his little sister when she finally woke up and cried.

My son was doing so much better. He wasn't exactly in amazing health yet, but nothing compared to how he had been before Austin was born. Now, since Skylar was a perfect match to Seth, they wanted to wait until she was at least three months old to retrieve bone marrow and make another procedure, which they hoped would fix him for good this time. Thank goodness he seemed well enough to hold on until then.

Skylar was back in my arms so that I could feed her and Seth got up to leave the room. Before that, he climbed on my hospital bed and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Honey. Uncle Emmett will stay with you tonight, but we'll be there to see you first thing in the morning, okay?"

He nodded and waved at me before leaving the room, Edward following close behind him. His parents had dropped by earlier to see us. Esme was over the moon, and as much as I loved that she was always around and so supportive, it made me miss my own mother. Renée had called me a couple hours after I gave birth, but Charlie hadn't even bothered to talk to me at all. She said they still had no plans of coming to Port Angeles anytime soon, and that broke my heart. Deep down, I knew she wanted to see me, but would never antagonize my father. All that because Jacob and I decided upon getting a divorce.

Being inside a hospital for that much time made us drift apart from lots of people, including our own families, because Seth was really sick for the best part of a year, and visitation rules were very strict. I barely left at all, which made my interactions with my brother and friends be mostly over the phone. Edward and Carlisle were the only people I saw everyday. Now that Seth was better, Em and Rose were around more often, and so were Alice and Jasper. Edward also shared his time between the hospital and Austin, and that's where Esme's help was crucial. She was basically taking care of him everyday, with Kate's eventual help.

Skylar and I would be discharged the next morning, and Edward would stay the night with us. I had gotten him a birthday present a few weeks before, because I was sure to forget about it later. There had been no planning, I was just window shopping after having lunch with Rosalie and saw it. She helped me set it up, and I hoped he would like it.

When he came back to my room, Skylar was already asleep again and I'd put her inside the hospital crib. A nurse had already checked on us for the last time and I was feeling tiredness slowly creep up over me.

"Did you have a nice birthday?" I asked him and he smiled.

"The best so far."

"I have something for you."

His eyes met mine and I saw a hint of blushing in his cheeks. I'd never seen him Edward blush.

"You didn't have to."

"Shut up." I mumbled "Could you grab my purse, please?"

He did and I dug through it to find his present. Rosalie had just finished it that day.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to wrap it up."

He grabbed the photo album from my hands and sat down next to me. The first photo was a snapshot from Seth's first ultrasound. Then the next ones showed him as a newborn, then taking his first steps, eating alone for the first time, riding his first bike… The next pictures were of Austin. Rose had asked Kate for copies of ultrasounds snapshots and Esme for other pictures, which they gladly conceded. Then, all of Skylar's ultrasounds and finally, a polaroid picture of her gorgeous little face Rose had just taken hours before.

He looked up at me, and I could tell he was really speechless.

"Bella, I… I love it. Thank you. I always wanted to get their pictures together, but…"

I smiled.

"I'm glad you like it."

He just nodded and we sat there, looking at each other for a few seconds. We both were undeniably happy about how things were finally looking up. I briefly wondered where that would lead us once we got our lives back on track again, but decided against giving it much thought. I stifled a yawn and he got up from my bed. Edward was wearing a teal t-shirt that complemented his eyes perfectly and black jeans. It's true that he looked tired with bags under his eyes, but Edward had kind of aged gracefully. Having just completed thirty-five, he looked a few years younger than that. His jawline was sharp and was one of his physical features I liked the most.

Then, without warning, he planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Good night, Bella." he squeezed my hand lightly.

I just mumbled a response and watched as he caressed Skylar's hair lightly. She had been sound asleep for quite a while now. Then, he laid down on the small couch near the window. Since he was tall, his feet were sticking out from under the small blanket the hospital provided, but he seemed more than used to it. In no time, his breathing got heavier and I felt myself drift to sleep.

* * *

The next few weeks were really strange. Since I had already sold my house, I would stay at Edward's until I found a place of my own. We didn't want to leave Seth completely alone at the hospital, so Esme would stay with me for a few days. Kate offered to help us as well. Not only was Skylar a newborn, Austin still didn't sleep through the night, which made me accept all the help I could get.

I visited Seth at the hospital everyday, and while I was there, Edward would usually go home to see Skylar and Austin, and sometimes figure something out at work. We were slowly getting our professional lives back on track, and I couldn't be happier about it. Routine was something I craved for ever since my son got sick. All I wanted to do was drive him to school and work my ass off at the publishing house, to go back home and help him with his homework. I missed that everyday stuff so much it was crazy.

One Saturday morning, I woke up to go to the hospital, as usual. Esme had made a wonderful breakfast. God knows that was just what I needed. Skylar and Austin hadn't really gotten a lot of sleep the night before and I was feeling cranky from sleep deprivation. Kate sat across the table from me, dozing off every few seconds.

"Thank you, Esme." I said when she laid a cup of tea in front of me.

"Sure. I hung up the phone with Edward just a few seconds ago. He'll be on his way soon."

I nodded. Edward and I didn't see a lot of each other those days, since we were taking turns between the hospital and home. I missed him. He had been my one companion the entire time since Seth's discharge had been indefinitely postponed, and now it was just weird not having him around. We still texted each other all day long, but it was different. Not to mention that I really, really missed kissing Seth goodnight. I had never wanted anything so bad as I wanted him to come home.

I set Skylar in her car seat, because Seth really wanted to see her, and the doctors cleared me to bring her with me sometimes. I shook my head at how soundly she was sleeping at that moment. At seven weeks old, she was a bad sleeper, and the night before had been especially awful. Carlisle told me it would go away soon, that it was just a phase, and I hoped he was right.

I drove to the hospital and parked in my usual spot. Carefully getting my baby out of her seat and gathering all her stuff, I slowly walked up the very familiar path to the hospital entrance.

"Bella!"

I turned around to where the very familiar voice came from. My mother stood before me smiling timidly.

"Mom." I walked up to her and we exchanged an awkward one-armed hug. I hadn't seen her in so long. Almost no phone calls, no texts, not to mention my dad was nowhere to be seen and I hadn't heard from him in months. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?"

She just shrugged.

"I just wanted to drop by. To see you and Seth and… is this Scarlett?"

It felt like a pang to my chest. My own mother didn't get my daughter's name right?

"Surely you mean Skylar?"

Her smile fell and she waved a hand dismissively at me.

"Yeah, you get it."

Slowly, she took Skylar from my arms and cooed at her.

"She looks a lot like him." she mentioned Edward as if he were a particularly nasty insect "Once again, you're just the egg donor, right?" she giggled, but I didn't think it was funny.

"Are you here to see your grandson? Can we go in at once?" I didn't mean to sound impatient, but apparently I did, because she rolled her eyes at me.

We rode the elevator in silence. Once we got in Seth's room, Carlisle was there. Luckily, Edward wasn't. I couldn't imagine the scene that would unfold if they ran into each other.

"Hey, there!" I announced our presence, trying to sound cheerful, but judging by the way Carlisle looked at me, he saw right through it. Then, he spotted my mother.

"Oh, hi. Renée, it's good to see you!"

Seth still hadn't looked up from his grandpa's tablet, so I walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi, baby! Look who's here!"

He rose his head and his eyes sparkled when he spotted his sister.

"Skylar!" He rose his arms as if he were trying to grab her from Renée's arms. He hadn't even paid her any attention.

"Hey, young man! Aren't you going to say hi to me?" she complained. Then, he looked at her as if he hadn't seen her in a long time. In fact, he hadn't.

"Hi, granny." Seth said without much enthusiasm, his arms still held out to get Skylar. Renee finally gave in and let them be. Under other circumstances, I'd have probably scolded Seth for treating her like that, but right then, I thought she kinda deserved it.

* * *

The day was awkward, to say the least. My mom and I didn't have a lot to say to each other, and we never even mentioned Charlie's name. It's like he didn't even exist. In order to make things a little less strange, I texted Emmett and asked him to drop by. He was reluctant at first and told me he was only doing that for my sake, and not hers, but thirty minutes later he was there, like the big protective brother he'd always been.

A few hours later, we were all in Seth's room. As usual, Emmett was playing with him on some handheld video game thing, and Skylar was asleep.

"Bella, why don't we grab something to eat at the cafeteria? I'm starving."

I shrugged and got up. When I told Em where we were going, he nodded curtly and focused his attention back on the game.

Renee and I walked quietly downstairs. We ordered bagels and were eating when her phone rang.

"Hi, Honey… Yeah, I'm with Rhonda. Yeah, I'll be on my way tomorrow morning. Sure. Yeah, okay. See you. Love you, too."

Rhonda was my mother's sister who lived in Tacoma, and she sure as hell was nowhere to be seen at that moment. I couldn't believe my father had no clue my mom had come to see me!

When she hung up, I noticed my face was hot with anger. That situation was beyond ridiculous!

"Charlie doesn't know you're here." it wasn't a question.

She smiled apologetically and put a hand over mine.

"No, he doesn't. You know your father. I just wanted to avoid conflict."

"By lying?" I spat coldly and she rolled her eyes.

"You know he's not pleased with your attitude lately. He'd give me hell if he knew I was here to see you."

"My attitude? Are you kidding me?" my voice rose a little and some heads turned to look at us.

"Lower your voice. Your father is not happy about any of this and neither am I, especially about the fact that you're back together with him."

"Oh, so you're not pleased? Well, I'm not either! My son got sick with leukemia and I thought he was going to die! Well, _mother_ ," my voice seethed with anger and my hands were shaking "Forgive me if I had another child with his father to save him! I was not strong enough to keep my marriage going and it was so not my priority at that moment, and I'm NEVER going to apologize for putting Seth before anything else in my life! So you can either suck it up and we can move on or you can feel sorry for Jake, because he was oh so heartbroken when he CHEATED on me with Tanya. In that case, you can forget that my children and I even exist and stay the fuck out of our lives!"

I got up from my seat and stormed out of the cafeteria. As I expected, she followed close behind, yelling something at me that I couldn't quite make out. When we got outside Seth's room, I saw him and Emmett staring at us agape, because we were so loud they could hear us through the glass door. Then I noticed Edward was there, too, holding Skylar. My brother came out of the room and held Renée by the shoulders.

"What the hell is this?"

"Tell her, Emmett! Your sister's making a big mistake!" she pointed her finger at me and I was so angry I couldn't reply. My hands balled into fists and I knew I had to get away from her before I did something I might regret. Then, I felt a pair of strong hands holding mine and Edward was in front of me.

"What's going on?" he asked me in a low voice and I had no time to answer before Renee walked up to Edward.

"You! This is all your fault! Isn't it enough to ruin my daughter's life once, now you have to do it again?"

At that moment, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. My anger vanished, now I was just disgusted. That was an obvious reference to me getting knocked up twice and I would not stand there and listen to her talking about my children like they were the worst mistake I'd ever made.

"Now you've gone too far, just leave!" Em told her. A few security guards approached us, and I suddenly knew Carlisle had called them. She just looked at me with a mix of surprise and anger, while they escorted her out.

"Tell security she's not allowed in here ever again." I told Edward in a flat tone and walked in to Seth's room. Skylar was awake and alert, like she knew something had just happened.

"Mom, what happened? Why did Granny leave like that?" he sounded curious, but I also heard a hint of sadness. I hoped he didn't understand the true meaning behind the awful things my mother said.

"We got into a fight, Honey. But it's going to be okay. Your dad and I love you so much. That's what matters."

I sat next to him and he wrapped his little arms around my waist. We stayed like that until he fell asleep, just a few minutes later. Before leukemia, I always thought he was growing up too fast, and that I wanted him to stay my baby forever. Now, I just wanted him to grow up as much as possible, because that would mean those bad days were finally behind us.

Emmett walked into the room while Edward was outside speaking to Carlisle. My brother picked up Skylar from her bassinet and started playing with her.

"I miss the days when Lily was this small." we smiled at each other, but he knew I wasn't doing well.

"Bella. You, Skylar and Edward should all go home. You obviously need some time together. I know you talk to him about everything, and now is the time."

I pondered for a second. It's true that I just wanted to go home and cry. Having Edward there would make things a lot easier.

"But Seth…"

"It's okay, Carlisle told me I can stay overnight. Besides, Rose took the kids to see her parents, so I'm all alone. If Seth weren't at the hospital, I probably would have invited him over anyway. So it's all good."

I nodded, accepting his offer. Seth was sound asleep in my arms and I decided to just enjoy it until it was time to go. When Edward finally came back, he sat on the other side of Seth's bed. I noticed Em looking at us from across the room like he'd just noticed something. I was starting to get really annoyed at people looking at us like that, or thinking that we were back together. In fact, my mind was nowhere near that direction.

"I'm coming home with you. Em will stay tonight."

Edward looked at me a little confused, and then nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I shook my head no. Then, he squeezed my hand sympathetically and we remained silent until it was time to leave. Seth woke up and didn't seem to mind the fact he was going to stay with uncle Em. If anything, his smile opened even brighter.

"Don't keep him up late." I warned my brother and he just chuckled in response. "Bye, baby." I kissed Seth's forehead. "We'll be here tomorrow morning, okay?"

He just nodded as Emmett handed him the video game thing. Edward smiled and thanked Em again. We left with Skylar and entered our respective cars.

* * *

On the way home, I started thinking over everything my mom had told me and a few tears escaped my eyes. I wasn't angry anymore, now I was just heartbroken that my parents had chosen my ex husband over me, and even my kids were not spared in the process. My father didn't even call me when Skylar was born. Not even a stupid text. Nothing. He completely shut me out from his life. It didn't matter that I decided to have another child with Edward because Seth's life was at stake. As much as I was disappointed, it also made me wonder if I really wanted to keep these people in my life. Don't get me wrong, I know we're talking about my parents, but some things are just unacceptable.

Edward arrived home before I did, and I think he'd already told Esme and Kate what had gone down at the hospital, because they asked no questions, even though I looked like shit.

After putting Skylar to bed, I took a long shower and dressed in the most comfortable pajamas I could find. After I was all set in the guest room I'd been sleeping in, there was a light knock on my door.

"Come in."

Edward peeked his head inside and I motioned for him to enter. He was wearing a faded black t-shirt which I recognized from the days we were together, eight years before.

"How are you doing?" he asked sitting on the bed next to me.

I just shrugged.

"I don't know. I was very angry at first, now I'm just… sad, really. She said… she said they were a mistake."

A few tears escaped my eyes and he laid down next to me to wipe them.

"Your parents really do hate me." he chuckled humorlessly.

"I get that. But what do Seth and Skylar have to do with that? They're just kids growing up without their grandparents around. It's not fair."

His finger stroked my cheek lightly.

"They had expectations for you and Jacob. I know it sucks that they took his side without thinking twice, but I still think they'll come around eventually."

I just nodded. I didn't think that was going to happen at all, but maybe I was just too caught up in sadness to see things the way he did.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What was your mother talking about when she told Emmett you were making a big mistake?"

Oh. That.

"She, um… She thinks we're back together."

He blushed a little.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

We just laid there in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds and then he wrapped an arm around me.

"Get some sleep, Bella."

"Goodnight."

He kissed my forehead and within seconds, I was asleep.

* * *

The next month, things went back to as normal as they got in that situation. Seth was doing good and so was Skylar. The bone marrow harvesting and transplantation were due to happen anytime now, and everyone seemed pretty optimistic. Of course, as a mother to both the children involved, I was worried sick that something would go wrong, but tried not to focus on that feeling.

Edward and I went back to barely seeing each other again. At least now that Seth was feeling better, I could work from the hospital and from home again. It made my mind busy and I also had to work around my schedule and organize my time better, which was good.

That night, when I got home, Edward had already left. Esme was holding Skylar and Kate was bathing Austin. I'd bonded with him over the last few months, and he was a very sweet baby. I wished Tanya could have seen his first smile and how cute he was becoming everyday.

I was already asleep when I heard Austin cry through the baby monitor, so I got up to see him before Sky woke up too.

When I held him, I instantly knew he was hungry. I don't know how moms do that, they just do. So we went downstairs and I made him a bottle of formula.

"There you go, honey…" I cooed to him while he hungrily drank the formula. His big blue eyes were staring right at me and I held his little hand with my free one. He was a miracle baby and I'm so glad he was growing stronger everyday.

Kate came downstairs looking like a zombie and it seemed like she took a few seconds to understand what was happening.

"I heard Austin cry…"

"Yeah, he was hungry."

She nodded.

"Oh, okay. Thank you. I'll just go back to bed, then."

Kate started going back upstairs when she stopped and turned around to face me again.

"Hey, Bella. Can I ask you a question?"

Oh, God.

"Sure."

"Are you and Edward together?"

Oh, for fuck's sake, why did everybody think that?

"No, Kate. We're definitely not."

She nodded slowly.

"I just thought… well, never mind. Goodnight."

Austin fell asleep right after and I carried him to bed. I don't know why people thought Edward and I were together. We barely even saw each other. To be quite honest, I didn't even know if I ever wanted to be in a relationship again. There were so many things I needed to get back on track before even considering that. Besides, I doubt he felt like that about me.

* * *

As soon as Sky completed three months, the doctors began the pre-op tests. She would go through something similar as Seth's biopsy, but since she was just a baby, they had a special team do that. Not to mention she would stay in the hospital for a little longer than he had. As for Seth, he would have to stay until they were sure the graft was working. Until then, he would be more isolated than before due to immunosuppression. I just hoped it would be over soon.

Sky's procedure would be performed two days before Seth's. Edward came home to pick us up because he knew I was a nervous wreck. She was sleeping so peacefully in her car seat. Tears instantly fell from my eyes because I knew she'd be in pain at some point, but at the same time, Seth had been in a lot of pain for much longer than anyone should be. It was a terrible feeling.

Edward held my hand.

"It'll be okay, Bella. It's almost over now."

I took a deep breath when we arrived at the hospital. Thankfully, Edward was the one to get Sky out of the car, because my hands were shaking bad.

Once the car was locked behind us, Edward stuck his hand out for me. This was it. Now or never. Everything we'd been hoping for would or would not finally happen, and I was so scared. The doctors were quite specific when they said this was Seth's best chance, and after everything he'd been through, his one chance.

So I took Edward's hand and walked into the hospital, trying to feel prepared for everything that might happen.

 **[A/N: I'll see you on Sunday, March 10 for our next update! Please review!]**


	17. Chapter 16

**[A/N: *ducks for cover* I'm sorry for the 5 day delay. I promise I had a decent reason for that: I'm currently at the hospital with a bad case of pancreatitis. I didn't have my laptop with me and I hate typing stories on my phone. Now my bf brought me my laptop and I'm feeling better, so I managed to finish writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Please review!]**

Once inside the hospital, we went straight to see Dr. Smithers. Carlisle had a day off and was with Seth in his room, for which I was very grateful. I really wanted to see my son, but that morning, I could barely focus on anything else besides the fact that my three month-old baby would go through an aggressive medical procedure in just a few minutes.

Dr. Smithers carefully laid Sky down on a medical bed and started checking her vitals to see how she was. Her gorgeous eyes had just opened and seemed somewhat focused on the small stuffed animals hanging from the doctor's stethoscope.

Sky was a very smart baby, and at that moment I felt more anxious than ever. As her little hands and feet moved in awe with her surroundings, my breath started to catch in my throat. Edward realized that and held my hand.

"It's okay. I'll go in with her. You can stay with my dad and Seth. She won't be alone and you have nothing to worry about. I promise."

I shook my head yes and he grabbed me by the shoulders and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Skylar looks great." Dr. Smithers told us "The procedure is really similar to Seth's biopsy. We'll put her under and retrieve a portion of bone marrow. She could feel a little sore for a couple of days, but that should be it."

The thing about that is that Seth was already able to speak when he had the biopsy. Sky was just a baby and her way of communicating was basically crying. That broke my heart.

A few minutes later, everything was set and they took Skylar to be put under. Edward received a special gown and other equipment to be in the room with her, or at least as close as they allowed him to be. He held me close and stroked my hair.

"It's okay. We'll take her home before you know it. We'll take them both home."

I just nodded and left to Seth's room. As always, he and Carlisle were talking and laughing together, and I was so happy that my son had at least one of his grandpas around.

"Hey." I greeted them both.

"Mom!" Seth opened a big smile when he saw me, like always. Carlisle had the ever warm look on his face, but he also knew I was worried. There was nothing I could hide from him. It had been like that since the first time we met, when I was still just Alice's friend.

He and Seth made a good job distracting me. To my surprise, my son didn't seem scared at all of the surgery he'd go through in just two days. When I asked him why, he told me it was because he couldn't wait to go home, so if that surgery was all it took for that to happen, he wanted to have it as soon as possible. He was a lot like Edward when it came to that. I knew that after the surgery he still had a while to stay at the hospital, but nothing compared to everything we'd already been through.

* * *

About an hour later, Edward walked in with Skylar in a stroller. I guess he was scared of holding her and making her little hip sore. I was, too. She seemed to be peacefully asleep, and even though I knew that wouldn't last through the day, seeing her apparently fine calmed my nerves a lot. He then took us home, where he would stay a few hours to help me out with Sky and Austin. Esme told us she wanted to spend the day with Seth, as it'd been a while since the last time they had seen each other.

"Thank you for being there today." I said when we were in the car.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"And where else would I be?"

We'd come a long way since the time when Seth had been diagnosed and I was extremely happy about it. We were always part of each other's lives, of course, but our interactions over the years were shallow, and after I got married to Jake, formal at best. Our only subject of conversation was Seth. It's true that we were often in the same places, since I was Alice's best friend and his parents loved me, but I always thought that we had drifted apart for good, what with my plans of having a child with Jake. Whenever I thought about that, it seemed like a lifetime had passed.

That afternoon, as soon as we arrived, Esme left to the hospital and Kate went grocery shopping. They both were of so much help to us I could never thank them enough. Due to what happened to Tanya, Kate's boss gave her a sort of maternity leave so that she could take care of Austin with us. She and I were not quite close, but I always knew I could count on her, and it surprised me when I was the first to know she was seeing her current boyfriend, Garrett.

So we got home, ordered some food and I proceeded to take a shower and try to relax, even though it was impossible. The closer we got to the surgery date, the more nervous I became. Austin was taking his afternoon nap, so Edward decided to give Sky a bath and change her into more comfortable clothes, before she got too fussy due to the inevitable pain she'd go through eventually.

When I got downstairs again, Skylar was wailing loudly and Austin had just woken up, crying as well. I took him in my arms and rocked him lightly. Sky's little face was stained with tears, and I knew she was uncomfortable.

"I just finished changing her. Guess she's feeling sore…"

We exchanged a brief glance and I decided to go into the kitchen and make bottles. It was the best I could do. I just couldn't handle seeing my kids in pain anymore. I just wanted it to be over soon.

Austin was a very calm baby, so it didn't take him long to go back to smiling and playing with his little toys. Sky, on the other hand, spent the rest of the day fussing and whimpering. Kate called us to see if it was okay if she went out with Garrett for a bit, and we said yes in a heartbeat. It was a Saturday, after all, and she was always with us. Esme was not back yet and the babies fell asleep eventually, so for a while it was just Edward and I.

"So… my mom just called. Alice is at the hospital, too, so I guess she'll take a while. Do you want to… I don't know, watch a movie or something to take your mind away from things a bit?"

I sighed. I doubted anything would take my mind away from what was going on, but it couldn't hurt, right?

So I nodded and we sat next to each other on his couch. Just like the old times, he chose Harry Potter and the goblet of fire. It was our favorite, at least eight years before.

Of course I was still worried, but being there and watching a familiar movie with someone whose company I enjoyed lightened my mood a little. Almost an hour into the movie, I noticed my head was leaning on his chest and his hand encircled my waist, resting on my hip. I didn't move, though. That's when I noticed how common that kind of thing had become. Maybe, just maybe, that's why people thought we were together. Oh, well. I had other things on my mind to worry about.

* * *

[EPOV]

Bella fell asleep in my arms before the movie ended. She looked so still I was worried. I had no idea how long it had been since the last time she'd had a long, replenishing night of sleep. Carefully, I lifted her up and carried her to my room. The bed was larger, besides, I was going to sleep at the hospital anyway. She didn't even move when I laid her down. To be honest, I even checked to see if she was really breathing. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, I turned off the lights and left the room. My mom was back just an hour later and I left right after.

The next day was full. Since Seth would be unable to see visitors for a long time, everybody went to the hospital to see him, including Emmett and Rosalie. Even Jacob called to wish him a quick recovery. Sky was doing better, but Bella and I barely saw each other, because we kept taking turns at the hospital and at home. Not to mention all the pre-op tests Seth was going through. Thankfully, he was fine to undergo surgery. It's true that Dr. Smithers expected him to be a little better, but that didn't make a difference. He was cleared for surgery, which meant it all would be over sooner rather than later. Hopefully.

* * *

On Monday, I went to pick up Bella early in the morning. That was the day. Finally. When she got in my car, I could tell she hadn't had a single wink of sleep. Neither had I, to be honest. I greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and noticed her hands were shaking, so I held them in mine.

"It's okay."

She nodded briefly and we sat in silence for the rest of the drive. As far as I knew, her parents hadn't even called. I didn't touch the subject, but I knew she was upset about that, too.

We got there just in time. My dad was in Seth's room, chatting excitedly with Dr. Smithers. She had a big smile on her face, and I knew she was just as excited and hopeful as we were.

Seth had a tight grip on his blanket, and I noticed he was a nervous wreck as well, but for entirely different reasons. Before leukemia, he hadn't even drawn blood before, so surgery was still a scary thought, in spite of everything.

"Hey, son." I sat on his bed next to him. His eyes, a mirror of my own, held the same fear as his mother's.

"Hey."

"You nervous?" I asked. He nodded curtly.

"It's okay. We'll be right here when you wake up. I promise."

He bit his lip, much like Bella usually did.

"What if I don't?"

I confess I had no idea how to answer to my son's questions about death. The mere idea of it was unbearable. I briefly checked to see if Bella heard us, but she didn't.

"It's going to be alright, son. You're in very capable hands. And it's time for you to come home, don't you think?"

He smiled and nodded.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

Bella came up behind me and I left them alone to talk. Dr. Smithers then approached me and introduced me to a man who must be a couple years younger than me.

"Mr. Cullen, this is Dr. Parker. He'll perform Seth's surgical procedure."

We shook hands and he briefly explained what would go down in the OR, but I could barely keep up with his words. Anyway, around twenty minutes later, they wheeled Seth to the OR. Bella and I were not allowed in, of course. Even though that was the moment I'd been waiting for a long time now, I still felt like something was wrong. When Bella and I looked into each others eyes and she threw herself into my arms, her tears making my shirt damp, I knew she felt the same.

I just hoped we were terribly wrong.

* * *

[Carlisle's POV]

I looked at Edward and Bella from where I was standing. He had his arms around her waist and her entire body shook with sobs. My heart broke for them. Never, in a million years, would I imagine something like that would happen to one of my grandchildren, especially one of Edward's children.

Seth's procedure had a 50 percent chance of working. After everything he'd been through, I was surprised he'd made it. Being a doctor, I'd seen a lot, and I thought I would be more prepared to deal with some medical situation that happened in my family. Boy, was I wrong. Not only was it harder to deal with the very real possibility that Seth was suffering from a fatal disease, it was also difficult to stay out of his case as a doctor. That was out of my expertise.

I always liked Bella. Ever since she and Alice became friends, she had always been a very sweet girl, and a fierce woman. When she and Edward first got together, I confess I hoped it would work out between them. My son has a big heart, but back then, he was still immature about a lot of things, and I could tell Bella would not put up with that. Even though Edward's my son, I don't blame Bella for not giving him second chances. He still had some serious growing up to do.

Thankfully, he turned out to be a good dad. Seth meant the world to him and made him grow into a man; the man Esme and I raised him to be. There was Tanya, too. She was a lovely lady, but just as immature as Edward. Or more. She looked at him like he was Prince Charming, and I never approved of the way they behaved to each other. She thought he was the best man on Earth. He liked her alright, I guess at some point he really was in love with her, but I know my son. He would never confess to that, but I knew he didn't feel she was the one. He just wanted to move on, much like Bella did.

Now I know they didn't have anything too serious back then, but they hit it off. Bella was the kind of girl Edward had always wanted to be with. I knew it could have worked, had he not freaked out and said what he said to her when she first told him about her pregnancy.

A couple months after Bella got married to Jacob, Edward proposed to Tanya. It's true they'd been together long enough, but for me, he just felt the need to move forward with his life. Tanya was someone he admired and they already lived together. Also, she loved Seth, which was fundamental. I guess Edward was scared he would never find anyone with all those qualities who also liked his son, so he settled for Tanya. I know it's harsh. She didn't deserve to be put in that position in someone's life, and I really do think Edward didn't do it consciously. He fooled himself into thinking she was what he wanted.

Seth's disease made my son depressed. Changed him forever. The fear of losing a child is crippling. When Esme was about to give birth to Alice, I almost lost them both. Those were the worst few hours of my life. I could never imagine living through that horrible emotion for an entire year and more.

He and Bella then grew closer, because they recognized themselves in each other's pain, and their partners felt left out. Jacob grew angry at Bella and Tanya got desperate for Edward's attention, to the point where she turned off his phone when his soon needed him the most. And I would never tell Edward,at least not until Seth was out of the hospital, but at the event of her passing, I looked through Tanya's medical records to see if she had some underlying condition that could have caused her to throw the clot that killed her. And I found out she had started seeing a doctor and made a fertility treatment. It matched the time when Edward found out about Seth having leukemia, so of course he wouldn't know. I'm surprised she managed to get pregnant so quick after starting the medications, but it can happen. Of course, Austin was wanted and loved by everyone, we could never resent him, but I do wish he'd been conceived out of love, and not just because his mother was scared of being alone. She seemed to have found love with Jacob, though.

Bella being pregnant with Sky also changed things. They were not only leaning on each other for support through the pain, they were also close again. Friends again. And I knew Edward was in love with her. Bella was still closed off from feeling anything, what with her divorce, but after Skylar was born, it's like they finally relaxed a little and just allowed themselves to be comfortable in each other's presence. They touched, hugged often, held hands, kissed each other's cheeks, much like Esme and I usually do. The best part, they don't even notice. No wonder Renee thought they were back together. The day she came to see Seth, Edward kept his arms around Bella's shoulders the entire time. God knows I wish they would be together again, but there was still a lot to happen and a lot of healing to be done.

* * *

A few hours later, Seth was finally out of the OR, and I was allowed to see him, not before changing into disposable scrubs. He would be isolated from pretty much everyone but hospital staff and his parents. And even them would have a restrict schedule.

Seth was still asleep from the anesthesia. His face was serene and reminded me a lot of Edward's.

"The surgery went well," Dr. Smithers told me "now we just have to make sure he doesn't reject the graft."

We exchanged a meaningful look. At this point, it would be fatal.

Two thick glass walls separated us from Bella and Edward. He had his arms around her shoulders and she looked like she was about to cry. I sighed. We'd taken a big step, but the most critical part was yet to come.

 **[A/N: I won't set a date to upload again, since I'm still waiting to be discharged, but I plan on doing so in two weeks. As always, thank you for your lovely reviews, all the reccs and follows! See you!]**


	18. Chapter 17

**[A/N: Oi! Loooooong time no see! I'm so happy to be back, and I apologize for my long absence! In my stay at the hospital, they found gallstones. I had to undergo surgery and faced a two-week recovery. As you can probably imagine, I had looooots of work to catch up on and just now was I able to upload. Thank you for your patience! I would also like to thank all the awesome reviews, reccs, follows and favs! Some medical situations portrayed here might be slightly inaccurate, but that's for the sake of fiction. As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please leave your thoughts!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

[EPOV]

An entire week had passed since Seth's surgery. He was being closely monitored by several doctors, and even though they were apprehensive, everything seemed to be going according to expected. The only problem is that we couldn't spend as much time with him as we used to, since he was still in isolation. Only one of us could see him at a time, and we couldn't spend more than two hours a day. My dad often found a way around that, since he was a doctor at that very hospital, but it just meant that he could see Seth anytime, not us. And obviously, he had his own patients to see. We spent as much time with Seth as they allowed us to, because we missed him, and he missed us even more. Even though being in the hospital was far from an ideal situation, all the time he'd spent there he'd always been surrounded by people who loved him. Now being in a room alone most of the time was terrible, not to mention he was just a kid.

Dr. Smithers had plans to discharge him after he was off most immunosuppressants and after he gained some weight. Due to his disease history, he still had a couple of months to go, just to be safe.

I was in the room with him, wearing all that gear they require when we visit patients in isolation. His little face looked a little better already, or maybe I was just being hopeful. Anyway, he seemed to be doing better, all in all.

"Dad, I'm bored." he pouted.

"I know, buddy. You'll be out of here soon enough."

He rolled his eyes.

"I have nothing to do here. No one to talk to most of the time."

I looked at the sterile blue walls. All surfaces were squeaky clean, unnaturally so. I tried to distract him by talking about Austin and Sky. That lightened up his mood a little bit.

When my time was up, I saw Bella standing outside the room, looking apprehensive. I knew just how much she and Seth missed one another, so I said goodbye to him, and promising to be back the next day, I left.

Bella was waiting for me and we exchanged a hug. I'd just seen that morning, but hey, it's not like I was complaining about physical contact with her.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Bored. But otherwise, I think he's okay."

She bit her lip, as she usually did whenever something was eating away at her.

"I just wanted to bring him home."

"I know, right? Do you want me to wait for you here?"

"No, it's okay. You should go home, Esme and Kate are going nuts."

I nodded and kissed her cheek.

"See you later."

I drove home and when I got there, I could her Austin cry from outside the door. He'd been really fussy for a few days now, and we guessed he was teething. At seven months old, that was a very plausible explanation.

Kate had just left for work and my mom was trying to calm Austin down while Skylar was sound asleep in her bassinet. I chuckled. She'd literally stayed up all night.

"Hey, honey." my mom greeted me and I took Austin from her arms. His face was stained with tears and his blue eyes were bloodshot. Sure enough, his gums were a little swollen.

"How's Seth?"

"He's okay, I guess, but he just wants to come home. Now more than ever."

"Aw. I miss him." My mom was heartbroken that she wasn't allowed to see him, at least not while he was isolated.

Eventually, Austin fell asleep in my arms. He reminded me a little of Seth as a baby, except for the hair and eye color. Thankfully, he was now growing a little more than expected, considered how prematurely he'd been born. It was not easy having two babies so close in age and a sick child at the hospital. I had no idea how we managed that, really.

A few hours later, Bella came home, looking like she'd been crying recently. I just tapped the spot on the couch next to me and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. The closer things seemed to be coming to a conclusion, the more anxious we became. But Bella was just deadly silent almost the entire time now, and I was frustrated by not knowing what was going through her head.

* * *

[Kate's POV]

It was almost midnight when I arrived home that Friday night. Tip toeing and being as silent as I could, I opened the front door and walked in. As I expected, Bella and Edward were out cold on the couch, TV on. They did that a lot. A superhero movie was about to finish, so I quietly turned it off and went upstairs. At least the baby monitor was on next to them. Chuckling, I went upstairs. Esme's door was closed, so I went into the nursery to check on Skylar and Austin, who were both asleep. Thankfully, she was starting to finally sleep through the night and Austin was a little less fussy now.

So I went into my room and changed into comfy pajamas. My cell phone vibrated on my nightstand and it was a message from Garrett wishing me sweet dreams. I smiled. I had never been one to go out on dates a lot, but he was an amazing guy and I was definitely falling for him. The good part is that apparently he felt the same.

Browsing through my messages, I saw one from my dad saying he missed me and wished we could meet soon. I sighed. Dad lived in New York now, and it's not like I had time nor a lot of money to travel there, what with the living arrangement I was in. I would only start looking for my own place when Seth was discharged and everything was back to normal. Garrett had already suggested I moved in with him, but I thought we would be moving too fast if I accepted.

That reminded me I was nothing like my sister. Tanya had always been one to fall fast and hard. Before Edward, she ran away with her highschool sweetheart. Days later, she was back with a broken heart. That didn't stop her from making similar mistakes in other opportunities.

When she met Edward, she fell in love as I'd never seen her fall for anyone before. He cared about her, too, I could tell, but it was nothing like what she felt for him. I didn't even like to call it love, because for me, it was more of an obsession.

We lost our mother to a brain aneurysm really young. I was fifteen and Tanya was just thirteen. Our father was devoted to us, but it was not easy to raise two angsty teenage daughters who'd just lost their mom. I got way more introverted after my mom's passing, but Tanya was the opposite, and she kept on searching for love and acceptance in all the wrong places.

Edward liked her. For me, he was really in love with her at some point, but after I met Bella, I noticed he never looked at my sister the way he looked at her. He never cheated on Tanya, I'm pretty sure of that. And I knew he tried to make it work the best way he could. He wanted a future with her. But none of that was good enough for Tanya. She wanted to have a fairytale wedding and a huge family with him. I guess it would have happened, but then, understandably so, every priority in Edward's life shifted when Seth got sick.

Tanya liked Seth, but she couldn't deal with Edward not giving her what she wanted. She and I got into a giant fight over that. I told her she was a selfish bitch and we didn't talk for weeks, maybe months after that.

One night, she called me crying hysterically because Edward had finally broken up with her and kicked her out. I wouldn't find out the reason until many months later. When she found out she was pregnant, she was not as happy as I thought she would be. She swore to me on our dead mother that it was Edward's, so I didn't quite understand why she was so unhappy. Then she told me that she and Jacob were seeing each other, and that for the first time she just enjoyed being herself around someone, and not some exaggerated version of what she thought she was.

Then, she started planning everything with Jacob. He wanted to raise Austin as if he were his own child, but that just didn't sit right with me. The main reason why I was so annoyed is that there was a chance that child could help Seth to recover if they were a decent match. That's why I told Edward. Again, Tanya didn't talk to me for months after that, and this time, neither did Jacob.

The day we finally reconciled was the day she was hit by a bike and had to have an emergency c-section. Hours after that, she was gone. I felt guilty for a long time, but helping Esme, Edward and Bella with Austin made me feel better. I really liked them all. They were a tight-knit family that never made me feel like an outsider. Esme and I became quite close. She was motherly and had a soothing presence. As for Bella, I guess you could say we became friends. She and I always got along well, even before Tanya's death, and she was the first to know about Garrett. I just hoped she and Edward would get their heads out of their asses and just be together like they obviously wanted.

* * *

[Emmett's POV]

Saturday morning, I poured my coffee in the mug Riley and Lily had painted for me. It said 'Best dad ever'.

They were all still asleep, since on weekends we usually slept in, but this time, I had a good reason to be awake.

I was driving to Forks.

Riley and Lily wanted to come along, but I didn't let them. It's not like I was going there to have a barbecue with my dad or ask my mom for advice. Those days were gone now.

Since Seth had the surgery, I was in contact with Bella everyday. She was freaking out and I completely understood her. But most of all, she was really depressed ever since my mom came over and said all that horrible stuff. Since my sister was in no emotional condition to give my parents the treatment they deserved, I was going to.

In an hour or so, I pulled up to their driveway. Sure enough, both my parents' cars were there. Billy Black's car was in his driveway as well, which meant they were not out fishing. At least not yet.

When I left my car, I noticed Jacob standing in the Black's porch. There was a beautiful woman with him and they were holding hands. He noticed my presence and we quickly exchanged glances before he turned away. Fucking coward. There was a lot I wanted to tell him, but it wasn't worth my time. So I just opened the door to my parents' house, since I had the keys.

Their little dog greeted me and I walked into the kitchen. They'd recently renewed it, and the result was great.

The TV was on at the living room, as always, and my dad was sitting with his back turned to where I was. At the same time, my mom was coming downstairs and opened a big smile when she saw me.

"Emmett!"

She threw her arms around me and I was slightly confused as to why, since our last encounter had been anything but smooth. Then my dad stood up to greet me. They both seemed perfectly fine and oblivious to any reason why I would be there if not to see them.

"Where are the kids?" Charlie asked me.

"They stayed home."

"Oh." his face fell a little and I noticed my mom got a little apprehensive.

"Do you want to have breakfast with us?" she asked, and I could tell she was trying to avoid conflict by not letting me say what I had to say, so I just decided to spit it out.

"No. Actually, I'm here to talk to you."

My mom pursed her lips in a very tight line and my dad seemed thoroughly confused, which angered me even more. Did he really think he was doing right by shutting his daughter and grandchildren out of his life over Jacob fucking Black?

"Oh? About what?"

"About Bella." my dad's facial expression instantly shifted to one of anger.

"I'm not discussing this." he started to walk away.

"Yes, you are. You're going to hear me out right now." my voice came out louder than I expected and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Lower your voice, young man."

"I'm not a teenager you can talk down to, okay? And you're going to fucking hear me out, because what you two are doing is ridiculous. Did you know your grandson is still at the hospital, in isolation, facing a difficult post op that may or may not work, and guess what, if it doesn't, chances are he won't survive. He's been in this situation for a long time now. You barely visited him at the hospital, and one of the few times one of you went there to see him, Mom caused a freaking scene!"

At that moment, I noticed my mom went agape and my father was looking at her in a mix of anger and confusion.

"Oh, yeah, dad, you didn't know about that, did you? Because mom lied to you saying she was going to see aunt Rhonda, right? Well, what she actually did was give Bella hell at the hospital and call both her kids mistakes, that's what she did!"

Renée's face was red with anger, and I knew she was trying to come up with something to say, but couldn't.

"Your daughter has a child at the hospital suffering from a potentially fatal disease. She did whatever she could to save Seth and thankfully Edward was on board with it, which is WAY more than I can say for Jacob and you two! The only thing you were able to do was make her life miserable because she divorced him!"

"She had another child with the man who ruined her life to use it as a medical commodity! Don't you dare tell me she did the right thing!" my dad yelled back.

"Oh, so Edward ruined her life? How? By knocking her up? Do you think that's how she feels about her son? It's disgusting that you think of your own grandson like that. Bella and Edward had a falling out in the past, sure, but that's their fucking problem, not yours. Besides, you treat Jacob better than you treat your own child!"

"He was a good husband! He tried his best!"

"Oh, did he now? How? By not supporting her choice to save her kid? By CHEATING on her with Edward's ex? Did he tell you that or did he play devoted husband and you fell for his act?"

Judging by the expression on Charlie's face, he had no idea. I knew my mom was aware, because Bella yelled that very piece of information to her face when they met at the hospital.

There was a deadly silence before I said,

"You don't even know her daughter. My mom didn't even get Skylar's name right. You don't like Edward, that's your fucking problem, I really couldn't care less. But you don't get to do that with your own daughter over someone who didn't think twice before being done with his marriage and lying to you. By the way, he got over his dead girlfriend and moved on again. Get your head out of your fucking asses and set your priorities straight."

I stopped in the doorway and turned around to talk to them again.

"You're not welcome in my house, you're not welcome to call me or message me, you don't get to see my children until you do what's right and fucking apologize to Bella, and Seth and Skylar. And you better mean it."

With that, I forcefully shut the door behind me and left their house.

* * *

[BPOV]

I was frantically trying to get a hold of Emmett, to no avail. Every call I made went straight to voicemail and I was kind of worried. Dr. Smithers had just called Edward and I to the hospital, and I was waiting for him to change before we could leave. Esme was rocking Skylar to sleep and I was trying not to freak out. My mind was swimming in possibilites, all of them bad, of course.

Emmett was swept away from my mind when Edward came downstairs and we finally drove to the hospital. When we got there, I was able to see Seth from the window to his room and he seemed okay. Then, Dr. Smithers appeared in my vision field.

"I'm sorry to have called you on such short notice. But I have news, and I couldn't wait until Monday to deliver them."

"What is it?" at least one of us was still able to use words.

"It looks like the graft worked. We have a date set for Seth's discharge."

 **[A/N: We're finally getting away from drama! Or are we? Review!]**


	19. Chapter 18

**[A/N: Helloooo! Thank you, as always, for your AMAZING reviews, reccs, follows and favorites! Your amazing feedback is what keeps me motivated to write. Speaking of which, I loved writing this chapter for some reason. I hope you like it! Currently, I'm also working on another story that I'll be posting soon! That's it, read and review, please!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight!**

* * *

[BPOV]

Dr. Smithers advised us against telling Seth that he would be discharged soon, but that day, I knew he noticed we were in a happy mood, then so was he. Carlisle was thrilled to hear that Seth was doing good. When the nurse told us it was time to leave for the day, Carlisle took Edward and I to lunch. It was pretty pleasant, but he had to leave, because apparently, there was an incoming patient at trauma.

When I looked at Edward, his face was serene and I could appreciate how handsome he looked without all that worry clouding over him. It reminded me of the easygoing, smiley guy he was when we first met. He must have noticed I was staring at him and he gave me a curious smile.

"What?"

I just shook my head. Then, he held my hand on top of the table.

"I'm so relieved I'm afraid it's all a dream."

"Tell me about it. I don't even know if I remember what a perfectly ordinary life is like anymore."

We smiled and made small conversation until we finished lunch and then got up. Without thinking too much, we made our way back to the hospital holding hands. It had been a common thing for us to do throughout that horrible year, because it was comforting to be linked to someone that knew what I was going through. Now that Seth had finally made it, somehow holding Edward's hand felt a little more than just being close to a friend. I didn't let go, though, and neither did he.

* * *

When we got to the hospital parking lot, I noticed Rosalie's car was parked in a spot close to ours. It was easily recognizable because it was a pretty extravagant color, and I'd never seen another car like that in town.

"Isn't that Rose's car?" Edward asked me, which confirmed my suspicions. She wasn't allowed to see Seth, so why was she there? What the hell had happened?

Then, my brain suddenly clicked. I wasn't able to reach Emmett earlier.

"Come on." I started to rush towards the building. I had to find her. My heart pummeled in my chest, because that familiar feeling of despair was creeping up my body again. I wanted so bad to be wrong, but I knew something happened to my brother.

On a hunch, I rushed to the trauma center. And just as I imagined, Rosalie was there, bawling her eyes out.

"Rose! What happened?"

Her beautiful face was red as a tomato and her tears were actually making her shirt wet.

"Emmett was in a car accident!"

I almost started crying, but then, a booming voice came from behind a curtain.

"I'm fine, woman, for goodness' sake!" a piercing scream followed right after.

I opened the nearest curtain, and there my brother was, being stitched up by a nurse.

"Emmett! Oh, my God, what happened?"

I could hear Rosalie sobbing behind me and Em rolled his eyes.

"The stupid deer. I hit a stupid fucking deer when I was coming back from Forks, I swerved the car and lost control, then I hit a guardrail and now I broke my stupid leg and some fucking stupid ribs and now everything fucking HURTS!"

I registered the part where he said he was in Forks, but that was not the moment to ask those kinds of questions at all.

"Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah, yeah, but Carlisle is handling that. OW!" he yelled at the nurse who was stitching up his forehead.

"If you just stopped moving, it would hurt a lot less!" she replied, and I stepped back to let her do what she had to do.

* * *

Eventually, Rose realized Emmett was doing okay, at least his life was not in imminent danger, and calmed down a bit.

"Where are the kids?" I asked her.

"Alice and Jasper have them. By the way, I promised I'd call them to tell what happened." I rubbed her shoulders in what I thought to be a soothing motion and she smiled. "Thank you. I'm doing better now, I guess. I'll just call the kids and tell you how things go later on, okay?"

She excused herself and made her way out. Edward and I exchanged a meaningful glance.

"It's incredible how much time we spend in this place, isn't it?"

I chuckled and shrugged. A few minutes later, Carlisle made his way to us.

"So, I ran a CT scan and there's nothing wrong with his head. Apparently, he'll have to go through surgery to fix his leg, though."

I just nodded. Em was a strong guy, I'm sure he would be just fine.

A short while later, Emmett went to the OR. Since he wouldn't be able to have visitors for the rest of the day, Edward and I went home. Rose told us she'd wait, because she was allowed to spend the night in his room.

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful. Knowing that Seth would be home soon made me want to look for a place of our own, and that's what I was doing when Edward came downstairs after putting Skylar and Austin to bed.

"What are you doing?" he sat next to me on the couch.

"Just looking for a new place. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but I guess it's time."

"What's the rush?" he asked in a playful tone, but I could tell he was hurt.

"Edward, your house's packed. Besides, we can't stay here forever."

"Yeah, I know, but Kate and my mom will be gone soon. Besides, I really think Seth should stay here at least for a couple of weeks. I miss him."

He made a pout that reminded me a lot of Seth's and I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

"Okay. But then we're gone."

"Yeah, we'll see about that later." he chuckled.

* * *

The next morning, we woke up early, as always. Kate was nowhere to be seen. She'd told us she would spend the night with Garrett and of course I told her it was fine. Carlisle had the day off, so Esme went home to see him. We wanted to see Seth and also Rose called me to say Emmett was clear to have visitors. So there we went.

Edward and I went in to see Seth first. He was finally out of isolation, and would remain in the hospital for another week, just to be sure. Dr. Smithers had already delivered the great news to him, and he was even happier than we were. He had already gained some of his weight back and even that sterile room didn't seem like such a bad place now.

"How's uncle Emmett?" he was pretty worried, Seth loved Emmett.

"He's doing fine, honey. He had surgery in his leg yesterday, but he's okay."

Seth just nodded.

"I wanna go home." he made a small pout, but his eyes weren't as sad as before.

"Yeah, I know, and we have just one more week left here, right?" Edward said.

He smiled and nodded again. I noticed my son seemed better now that he could finally watch TV and play with some of his toys. Austin and Sky were asleep in the strollers and I could tell Seth couldn't wait until they woke up. He hadn't seen them in a very long time.

"Hey, is it okay if I check on Emmett? I'll be back before you know it."

Edward nodded.

"Sure, take your time. I'll see him later."

I went downstairs to see Em in the orthopedic ward. His room was right in front of the nurses' station, and I saw Riley and Lily laughing at something my brother was telling them in that booming voice of his. I loved how he never, ever was in a bad mood. A broken leg and six broken ribs and still, he was laughing.

"Hello, there!" I slid the door open. Riley and Lily came running to me. They were so big and growing up so fast!

"Aunt Bella!"

"Hey, babies!" I gave Rosalie a half hug and approached Emmett.

"How is your leg?"

He chuckled.

"I don't know, really. Thank you for coming."

Rose then asked me if Seth could have visitors, since Riley and Lily wanted to see him, and I said yes. When they left the room, I finally got to ask my brother the question I'd been dying to ask since the day before.

"Did you go to Forks?"

He nodded.

"I had to speak my mind to them, Bella. What they're doing to you is not fair. Even worse, what they're doing to your kids is just cruel. I'm not having that. I'm not watching it happen and act like I'm okay with it."

I sighed.

"You didn't have to. But thank you. I'm just sorry it cost you a broken leg."

He smiled.

"And the ribs. Don't forget the ribs. They hurt like a motherfucker."

We talked a little more about everything that had happened that last week and I broke the news that Seth would be discharged soon. One of the things I missed the most in all that hell I'd been living in was just sitting down and talking to my brother. He had been my rock throughout my whole life, and now everything just felt so different. Of course we still had a very strong connection, but at that moment, I was lost inside myself. Truth is, I wanted everything to be over, because I wanted Seth to have a normal life again, but I also wanted to find out who I had become and what path I wanted to go down.

When I got up to leave his room, my dad was standing in the doorway. He looked a little lost and when his gaze met mine, I decided it was time to leave. My mom was nowhere to be seen, because I guess Carlisle had really pulled some strings and she wasn't allowed to see anyone in that hospital again.

"Rosalie called me." Charlie said, as if trying to explain why he was there.

"I'll see you later." Em nodded and I walked by my father without even looking at him. We hadn't seen each other in months. Thinking back, I don't even remember if we met while I was pregnant with Skylar.

Going back upstairs, I noticed Rose had an apologetic look on her face.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I called Charlie and Renée because I wasn't thinking. Yesterday I was so desperate thinking that something really bad had happened to him…. I called them today to say Emmett was doing fine, but Charlie was already on his way over… I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Rose. No need to apologize."

Lily was holding Austin in her arms and smiling at the picture Edward took of them. She resembled Rosalie a lot, except that her hair was curly. She had also inherited my brother's sense of humor. I just loved her, and I'm sorry I had missed out on so much of her life. Now that things would go back to normal, I hoped we could all spend some quality time together.

Riley and Seth were playing games together, and half an hour later, I had just changed Skylar's clothes and was trying to rock her to sleep.

I was lost in her gorgeous eyes, that didn't look like they were going to shut anytime soon, and cooing at her when I heard Riley and Seth say "grandpa" at the same time. Sure enough, when I looked up, Charlie had his arms around them both. Edward sat very still in his armchair, not sure of what to do. Then, my father saw Lily.

"Hey, princess! Come and give your grandpa a hug!"

And so she did, apparently oblivious to what was happening. Seth was happy to see him, but he was much more observant, and obviously, he knew his grandfather hadn't shown up in a ridiculously long time.

When he looked up at us again, he waved timidly at Rosalie. Then, his gaze reached Edward and I.

"...Bella." he didn't acknowledge Edward, and I just rolled my eyes at him. Thankfully, none of the kids saw it. Charlie noticed I was holding Sky, and blushed a little.

"Can I… Can I talk to you for a second?"

The entire room fell silent. Even the kids looked at us in curiosity. Rose cleared her throat.

"Alone." he sighed, and I decided it was better to just be done with it. So we quietly left the room, and I felt Edward's eyes on me the entire time.

"Yes?" I said in an impatient tone.

"Emmett was in Forks." Charlie was looking at anything but me and Skylar.

"Yeah, I know. That's why he's recovering from a broken leg right now."

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway. We had an interesting… talk, for lack of a better word. And I guess it has opened my eyes for… the way I've been treating you lately."

"Oh?" I asked sarcastically. "Like shit?"

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? We were just so… disappointed, Bella. You got pregnant with Seth, the timing was not great and you know that. Edward was a jerk to you, you might think it's water under the bridge, but we didn't forgive him. We wanted you to find someone good, and then apparently, you'd found Jacob, and everything was great. Then Seth gets sick, yes it was horrible, and then you decide to have another baby with the same man who did you wrong… I don't get it. A child is not a medical commodity, Bella. We were really, really angry at that. When you divorced Jacob everything went even worse."

I opened my mouth to reply, but he rose his hand.

"I know. He was not innocent. He cheated on you. He's moved on for the second time after you divorced, I don't think he's doing as bad as he tried to tell us. I'm sorry. I don't know what it feels like to have a kid that sick, but I definitely would do anything for you and Emmett. Yeah, I definitely don't like your… boyfriend. I don't like the fact that you're raising the child he had with another woman. But I guess I owe it to him, for being there for you when your mom and I weren't."

I shook my head, about to tell him Edward and I weren't together, but changed my mind.

"Whether he and I are together or not, is really none of your business. The things I forgave or didn't forgive him for… not your business, either. It's about time you accepted the fact that he is both my children's father, and that's never going to change. We get along, we have Seth and Skylar's futures in our best interests. That's all you need to know. Thankfully, it all worked out better than anyone had expected and my son's about to be discharged. He's cured. That's all you should care about. Also, even Skylar wouldn't be able to help him if Austin weren't born earlier than expected. Helping Edward take care of him is the very least I can do."

Charlie sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"I'm sorry. I hope we can still… be a family."

"Where's my mom's heartfelt apology?" I asked, way more sarcastically than intended.

"You know your mother. She'll do it when she's ready to swallow her pride. But I can assure you she misses you. We both do."

I chuckled and Skylar gave a small giggle while pulling on my hair. Both Charlie and I looked at her.

"So… this is Skylar." he said.

"Oh, you got her name right!" I appreciated my father's apologies, but sarcasm was dripping from me, because you don't just forget your parents treating you like shit for an entire year.

"Can I hold her?"

I handed Sky over to him, and his smile was genuine, at least. She was huge, and the most smiley baby I'd ever seen.

"She resembles you a lot, Bells."

"Really? Everybody says she looks just like Edward."

He shrugged.

"Hair and eye color, maybe. But she has your face."

The rest of our interactions were pretty weird. At least he spent quality time with Seth and with Emmett's kids. He even said goodbye to Edward on his way out.

By the end of the afternoon, everybody had already left. Riley and Lily would spend the night at Jasper and Alice's so that Rose could stay with Em at the hospital. I hadn't spent quality time with Ali in forever. I barely even knew her twins. There was so much we needed to catch up on.

* * *

"Mom." Seth said while we were reading a comic book together

"Yes, Honey?"

"I liked it that grandpa Charlie came over. I missed him."

For some reason, that hit me hard. Seth would often ask me about Charlie and Renée in the beginning, and then, I guess he noticed we weren't in good terms and stopped asking. But he had never, ever expressed how much he missed them. He'd never used those words. At that moment, I was grateful for having spoken to Charlie. I was grateful for my stubborn brother and how much he wanted his family to stick together. I was so glad Seth was alive and getting better. I was just beyond grateful for how everything had turned out.

"I'm glad he came, too, Honey."

Feeling my son's warm arms around my waist as we held each other was an overwhelmingly good sensation. Tears just slipped from my cheeks, I was worried that was the only reaction I ever got to anything, even the good stuff.

We got back to our reading, until Carlisle and Esme slid the door open. She had a huge smile on her face, and once again, I was just grateful that she was an amazing grandma when my mom was not there for Seth, and throughout all his life, really.

"We weren't expecting you guys!"

Carlisle smiled at me while he picked Austin up from his stroller.

"Yeah, Esme had a feeling about something…"

She looked at me knowingly and stood up to put a hand on my shoulders.

"Honey, you and Edward should go home. You have a lot on your mind. Seth's finally doing okay and I'm prepared to stay the night. Go home, take a bath, enjoy the fact that everything's alright for once. You both deserve it. Besides, I miss spending time with my grandbaby."

Edward was visiting Emmett with Skylar, but Seth tugged on my sweater.

"Go, mom. I know the couch is uncomfortable. Besides, you snore and grandma doesn't."

"Hey!" I said, feigning hurt and he laughed out loud. "Okay. I'll just tell Edward, then."

"Oh, no need to, dear." Esme said "I've already let him know."

Half an hour later, Edward and I left the hospital with Austin and Skylar, who were already fussy enough. Throughout the whole drive back home, I kept thinking back to what my father and Seth had told me, and how right Esme was to think that I needed to take a bubble bath and just chill.

* * *

When we got home, Edward and I gave Austin and Sky a bath, fed them and put them to bed. Thankfully, both already slept through the night and when I turned on the baby monitor, I let out a big sigh. Edward noticed it, he could read me like a book.

"Why don't you just take a bath while I cook us something?"

I hadn't eaten anything more elaborate cooked by Edward in years, just quick meals. To say I was looking forward to eating something tasty and homemade was the understatement of the year.

"Sounds like a plan."

"You can use my bathtub. I'll be waiting for you downstairs, take your time."

He smiled and then left, while I entered my room and picked up the fluffiest towel I had and the most comfortable pajamas available, and made my way to Edward's master bedroom.

As usual, it was tidy and clean. He had finally unpacked his beloved portrait collection, and I stopped for a second to look at them. There were pictures of Edward with his parents as a baby, then holding Alice at just four. Pictures progressed to when he won a swimming competition at seventeen, then graduating college. Several pictures of Seth, including one of the three of us together right after he was born. Austin. A photo a nurse took of us where I was still very pregnant with Skylar and holding a tiny Austin in my arms. At that point, Tanya had passed away just two weeks before, and Edward and I looked absolutely exhausted. Next picture was a happy Seth holding his little brother's hand through the incubator. Then, Skylar just a few hours old. A photo I didn't even know existed, of me feeding Sky for the first time. Finally, his three children together. I was just about to continue on my way to the bathroom when I noticed that there was a polaroid picture behind one of the portraits. Picking it up, I immediately recognized it as the only photo we had taken in the few weeks we were together. It was taken in my old apartment, and there was curry all over the place. I guess I'd dropped a bowl and he didn't let that one slide. At that point, I was probably already pregnant, but we had no idea. Funny how we seemed so young and clueless to everything we were going to face, and crazy to think that we'd get into a huge fight just a month later.

Looking closely, I realized there were tons of pictures of me, but none of Tanya. Shaking my head, I walked into the bathroom at once.

That was the longest bubble bath I'd ever taken. For the first time in months, my mind was just empty, and I only got out of the water when my fingers were wrinkled. In a much more relaxed state, I changed into warm, comfortable pajamas and went downstairs.

"Oh, smells good in here."

He turned around and smiled at me. He had also apparently showered and changed into comfortable clothes.

"You'll never guess what I made you."

I didn't have time to answer before he put an iron skillet on the table.

"Chipotle chicken fajitas!" we had tried to cook those once years and years and years before, but for some reason, it wasn't good. "I followed the recipe to a T this time around. I hope you like it."

"Well, they do smell awesome."

I put a large portion on my plate and took a bite. It really tasted amazing.

"Hmmmm!" Edward looked at me and blushed. I guess there was no doubt as to whether I liked it or not.

"Some wine?" he asked. Wine sounded good. I hadn't had a single sip in forever.

"Yes, please."

Edward and I were able to relax for once. Austin and Skylar did wake up during our dinner, but that was expected, and soon after being fed and changed, they were asleep again. Edward was able to tell me about the few cases he'd been working on with Jasper, and I told him that I'd read a promising manuscript we were probably going to approve. For the first time, we didn't have horrible bags under our eyes, we weren't scared that the phone would ring and someone would tell us to go to the hospital because Seth was not well. We were just not scared anymore. That was still a overwhelming feeling, because I didn't know anymore what it felt like to live without fear.

As we finished washing the dishes together, Edward asked me,

"Hey, what did you and your father talk about today?"

"Oh." for some reason, his question instantly reminded me of what Seth had said earlier, and tears sprung to my eyes.

"That bad?" he put an arm around my shoulders and I just shook my head.

"No, it's just…" I couldn't find the words, so he gently pushed me upstairs, and just when I noticed, we were in his room. Sitting on the bed and patting the spot next to him, Edward asked me,

"What is it? Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, wine was making me a little dizzy, so I laid down and he joined me.

"I am. It's just that… my dad apologized. We set boundaries for the things he was and wasn't allowed to say to me, and I guess… it will be okay. Then, later, Seth told me he was happy that Charlie was there, because he'd missed him. That broke me down. I always had hopes Seth would get better, of course, it's what we've been working on for so long. But now that he is better, I've realized I'm all over the place. Before we had the confirmation that the graft worked, I was fine with not talking to my parents ever again. Now I can't do this. Seth misses them, wants to have them around. Among other things, you know. There are just so many things I need to start over. But at the same time, I'm happy and I'm grateful and..." tears kept falling and he wiped them with a stroke of his finger.

"You just have a lot on your mind, Bella. It's okay. Your life changed completely. We were scared Seth would die, you had a divorce, your parents turned their back on you, you had another child… we lean on each other for support now. Not that I'm complaining about that last part."

I smiled and then, our eyes met. It had been a long time since we were that close. His beautiful irises had brown speckles in them. Then I noticed he lowered his gaze to my mouth. And without thinking too much, our lips met. I don't know who kissed first. All I know is that it was nothing like our previous, close-mouthed kisses. His hands tangled in my hair and our tongues met. When we finally separated, his cheeks were red, and judging by the way mine were burning up, I guess I was blushing hard, too.

"Let's not…" he started "Let's just get some sleep."

I nodded, agreeing that I didn't need Edward to become another unresolved issue in my busy mind.

* * *

 **[A/N: Poor Bella! See ya!]**


	20. Chapter 19

**[A/N: Oh, hey! First of all, thank you for your kind reviews! They really do warm my heart and I love you all for taking the time to read my story and leave your thoughts. Also, thank you for all the favs, reccs and follows! I loved writing this chapter. Hopefully you'll like it too! Review!]**

* * *

[EPOV]

I was afraid that our kiss would make things awkward, but for whatever reason, it didn't. Bella was still looking for a place of her own and we were arranging stuff for Seth's imminent arrival. Kate told us she would be moving in with Garrett in just two days, so the room she was sleeping in would be Seth's. When I bought that particular house, I already had in mind the fact that I wanted Bella to live there with our kids, so I didn't know how it was going to feel when it turned out to be just Austin and I.

Bella left to the hospital and I went to the office to discuss a case with Jasper. Austin and Skylar were with my mom for the day. Bella and I decided that, while they were old enough to go to daycare, maybe it would be healthy for Seth to spend some time with his siblings at home before having to go back to school, so we would sort those things out after New Year's.

That particular case was difficult, so Jasper and I were deep in thought about how we were going to defend our client. Eventually, we reached a plausible solution and as Jasper briefly spoke to the client, she seemed happy with what we'd come up with that far. He then checked messages on his phone and shook his head.

"I swear, your sister's going to drive me nuts one of these days."

I chuckled.

"She's going to drive us all crazy. What is it this time?"

"Elise and Natalie's birthday party. You know how she gets with those events."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Birthday parties seemed like another world for me after everything that had happened.

"We're more than a month away, aren't we?" I wasn't sure, but from what I remembered, the girls were born in December 10, or something like that. Sure enough, I checked my phone and it was November 5th.

"Yes. But everything's pretty much ready, I don't know what's keeping her so stressed. Well, her mood doesn't get any worse than when we were preparing our wedding."

"Yeah, I remember that." by that time, Bella was pregnant, Jas and I were wrapping things up to open a branch in Port Angeles and everything was a mess. Ali almost killed me because I wasn't really of any help to her back then.

"How's Bella? Haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh. She's good." My gaze lowered to the portrait Jasper kept of his three children on the table. I looked at it absentmindedly, but well, no wonder he was my best friend, because he instantly noticed everything was not good.

"Yeah, right, what happened?" I risked a glance at him and Jas had his eyes narrowed, like he could see right through me.

"We kissed."

He blinked twice with a blank expression.

"Yeah? So?"

I rose my hands in exasperation.

"So we kissed, like _actually kissed,_ for the first time in almost a decade, Jasper. Not some chaste, close mouthed, grateful, leaning-on-you-for-support-because-we-co-parent-a-sick-child kiss. An actual kiss."

His eyebrows went up in understanding.

"Oh. A French kiss?" he asked with a smirk and I rolled my eyes.

"You could say that."

He chuckled and shook his head. I hated talking to people about Bella and I because they always reacted like I was slow or something.

"What?" my voice came out more irritated than I expected.

"How long are you two going to keep this little game going on?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you and Bella obviously care for each other, Edward. You may think you're just… what is it? Oh, leaning on each other for support because you co-parent a sick child, but that's bullshit. You know you settled for Tanya because Bella was not available, and you know you only started dating her to begin with because you were a jerk who could not make a sincere apology to Bella. We all know that. But well, things changed. You grew the fuck up. Your son is doing okay. It's about time you and Bella sort things out."

I was furiously pulling on my hair, because the whole Bella subject was really frustrating.

"I don't think she feels that way, Jasper. She's closed off from a lot of things right now."

He shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not. You should tell her how you feel. You're not fifteen years old anymore. Worst case scenario, she says no, you move on with your lives. We've all done that plenty of times. But I don't think she'll say no."

I sighed and rose from the chair.

"I'll think about it. But I don't know. It just… drives me crazy."

"Just don't be stupid."

I flipped him off and left his office. Half an hour later, I was home. Bella was still at the hospital, but Kate had piled up boxes and boxes of her stuff to take to Garrett's place. I would miss her. Kate and I were finally friends again, no hard feelings. She knew she would always be welcome whenever she wanted to see Austin, and I knew she wished us the best and loved Skylar as her own niece. But yeah… maybe Bella and I needed her to be gone if we wanted to sort things out.

* * *

Just as I entered the kitchen to make me something to eat, my phone rang. My mother's smiley face lit up my screen.

"Hey, mom."

"Hi, honey! How are you?"

"I'm good. You? How's dad? Are the kids okay?"

"We're all great, dear. Listen… I was just thinking. Seth's finally being discharged on Saturday, so Alice and I think you and Bella should have Friday night for yourselves."

I shook my head in confusion. What?

"Uh… I don't get it."

"You guys should go on a date or just chill at home. It's not like you'll be able to do that with three kids in the house. Alice and I could have Sky and Austin on Friday night again, she's coming over to plan the girls' birthday party. Your dad's going to spend the night at Seth's room, as your son himself has requested."

As much as it was tempting, that sounded a lot like my mom and sister were setting me up with Bella. Also, I thought it was wrong to leave them with my children while we had fun or just relaxed. I also knew Seth wanted my dad to spend Friday night there with him because he usually was allowed to stay up late playing video games. Usually hospital staff turned a blind eye on that kind of stuff when Carlisle was the one with Seth.

"Mom, it's okay. You don't have to. They are a handful."

"I know, dear, but I love them. Besides Alice will be with me, and I took care of the two of you my whole life."

"I don't know…"

"I spoke to Bella and she said it was fine by her if you agreed."

My mind was instantly filled with images from our last kiss. It would be the perfect opportunity to see where things went, but I shook my head and tried to convince myself that we would just chill together.

"Okay. If she agrees, then I'm fine with it."

"Great. Then it's settled. Bye, honey."

I shrugged after hanging up the phone. My mom and Alice were too much alike for my taste, and I had a strong feeling they were up to something.

* * *

Bella didn't take too long to arrive. Her face was flushed, since it was cold outside, and she looked too cute. Bella was thirty-three and still as beautiful as the day I met her. Currently, her face looked tired and her hair wasn't as smooth as ever, since we had a child at the hospital and two babies to take care of. Still, she was beautiful.

"Hey!" she greeted. There was no awkwardness in the air at all. It was like the kiss hadn't even happened.

"Hey, yourself. How's Seth?"

She had a bright smile, so I knew the answer before she said it.

"He's doing great, actually. Dr. Smithers had the results of the last blood screening, and everything seems pretty good."

That was amazing to hear. We'd been waiting for that for so long.

"Awesome. Did you tell him I'm going to spend the night there today?"

"Yep." she started making herself a cup of tea "He's looking forward to it. Tea?"

"Sure. Thank you."

We talked some about other things regarding Seth, and then it reminded me.

"Did my mom talk to you about Friday night?"

"Yes. She told me you agreed to Sky and Austin spending the night with her."

I gasped. My own mother had set me up!

"She told me you said yes if I agreed!"

Her eyes went wider and she chuckled.

"She told me the exact same thing about you! We've been set up!" she blushed after saying that and I cleared my throat.

"I, um… I'll call her and undo this mess, okay?"

She nodded and I grabbed my phone, browsing through my recent calls. Just as I was about to dial my mom, Bella held my hand on top of the table.

"Wait."

I put the phone down and she bit her lip, as if not sure of her next words.

"I know they probably have other ideas of what we should do on Friday night," she blushed even harder "we all know that. But well, it's their grandma and aunt. They offered. We haven't had a night of fun in over a year. Maybe we've earned it. Seth will be home soon and maybe we need some time for us… you know. Not us together. But well, we can be together. But not like that. But…" Bella stammered and her face got impossibly red, so I rose a hand to stop her.

"Yeah. I get it. So I don't have to call my mom, right?"

She just nodded and I gently stroked her hand before getting up from the table and going upstairs to take a shower.

Half an hour later, I was ready to leave to the hospital.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine with two babies on your own?"

She smiled.

"It's okay. I think Kate will be here tonight, anyway."

I gave Bella a kiss on the cheek and left the house to enter my car.

* * *

[BPOV]

That entire week was very busy. Kate moved out on Wednesday, which left me two days to prepare the room that was hers, to be Seth's. Esme helped us choose the new furniture and Edward set it up. Differently from the time when I asked him to set up Seth's crib, Edward actually knew what to do, and everything looked amazing when he was finished. I put away Seth's clothes and arranged his toys on a shelf.

Austin was already able to crawl, and did so all the time. Skylar still didn't, but already sat on the floor to play with her favorite toys for longer periods of time. My father was right, she did look like me, except for the hair and eyes, which were totally Edward's.

Going to the publishing house that week was absolutely impossible due to all the things I had to at home, which meant that I didn't confront Alice about she and Esme setting Edward and I up. I could have called her, but then realized that I didn't mind. Since sharing that kiss, I knew that being with him was not something I was trying to avoid. We hadn't talked about it at all, but I knew he was watching to see if I regretted kissing him in any way. I didn't. Maybe now that the whole nightmare was over, we'd be able to set things straight between us.

When Friday rolled around, everything was ready by 4 p.m. Alice came over to get Austin and Sky, and surprisingly, she had a gift bag for me.

"Alice! You didn't have to!"

"I know" she giggled "But I wanted to. You deserve it."

I opened the bag and inside it, there was a beautiful grey wool dress-coat with a layered hem. It was long and as elegant as anything Alice thought worth buying.

"I love it! Oh my God, how did you know?"

"I think it suits you! Maybe you could use it tonight." Ali gave me a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"Edward and I are not going on a date, Alice." she smirked knowingly in response, but I didn't dare push the subject any further.

"Whatever you say. Okay, I have to go. Mom and I have lots of ideas for the girls' party and I really need to finish planning and start acting on it.

"Yeah. Thank you for babysitting tonight."

"Anything for my favorite couple." she grinned and I glared at her.

"Shut up."

I helped her put both babies in the car and we said goodbye. A while later, Emmett called me to let me know that Edward had given him a spare key to the house, and that he was planning to cook something for us the next day, as a welcome present for Seth. That was the sweetest thing a member of my family had done for me and my kids in a long time. I thanked him and said my son would love it and that we'd see each other the next day.

* * *

Edward was home soon after I hung up with Em.

"Hey." he was carrying a gift bag that looked just like mine.

"So Alice got you something, too." he smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. She was there today. So… Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

We fell silent. He'd dropped the question just like that, and I knew he wasn't talking about having ordinary dinner together while in our pajamas, but going out on a real date. Alice also knew about that, which is why she'd given me the coat.

"Oh. Um…" I knew that I wanted to. "Sure."

He just nodded and went upstairs, leaving me alone with the expectations I was trying to keep down.

A few hours later, I was ready to go. For the first time after receiving Seth's diagnosis, I took my time and did my hair and makeup. Not because I wanted to impress Edward - he'd already seen me completely naked screaming my lungs out while I gave birth to his children - twice. We were way past impressing each other with our looks. But it felt good to put on some eyeliner and lipstick. To wear fancy clothes again. When I looked myself in the mirror, I felt like the old Bella for a moment; the one whose son still hadn't spent more than a year at the hospital. Still, I never felt more different than I did at that second. And it was not bad.

Edward knocked on my door and peeked inside.

"Hey. Can we go?"

"Sure." I got up from the bed and walked up to him, closing the door behind us and going downstairs. Once there, he looked me up and down.

"You look great."

So did he. Edward was wearing a dark grey blazer and black pants, looking fresh and well rested. Without the weight of fear on our shoulders, I guess we looked younger.

"You too. Alice made good choices. We match." I pointed to my coat and his blazer, which were pretty much the same color. A light pink shade colored his cheeks, and I guess mine weren't too different.

"Let's get going, then."

Edward's taste for Volvos had never ceased to exist, so there we were, inside a black Volvo again, just like our first date. Except it was a different car, and everything was not the same anymore.

And we went to an Italian restaurant, but not the same as years before. We sat near a window and ordered the same thing. Edward was going to drive, so we didn't order wine, but he did request a bottle to take afterwards. I blushed just thinking that last time we'd shared a bottle of wine in my apartment, I ended up pregnant.

We ate in silence, like we did almost everyday since Seth was admitted to the hospital, but there was this weird feeling in the air. I could almost feel the weight of the elephant sitting on top of the table.

"Edward?" my eyes did not meet his when I spoke, but I knew he rose his head to me.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think you asked me out on a date and brought me to this very fancy restaurant so that we could eat in silence like we do everyday, right?"

I risked a glance at his face, and he looked frozen for a second.

"Um… no. It's just… I'm sorry, Bella. To be quite honest, I've been thinking about being with you alone for a while now. Since last Sunday. But… yeah. It feels weird to be in this position again after such a long time and after everything that's happened. I mean… we spent more than a year crippled with fear that our son would leave us, you got a divorce and my ex is dead." he chuckled humorlessly. "The timing is horrible, but in the middle of all of this, there's you."

I just sat there, unmoving and silent while he pulled on his own fingers.

"...And I don't know. I'm not ready to talk, I don't know what to say, but I sure as hell know how I feel and what I want to do, and if you're up for it, then so am I. You know, there's only you and me tonight. Tomorrow is a whole other story."

I knew what he meant. That entire year, I'd not felt anything even close to sexual desire for anyone. And tonight, just for those few hours, we were not parents. We were not exes. We were a hell of an attractive man and a beautiful young woman on a date. And boy, did I feel especially attracted to him that night. For the first time in years. Don't get me wrong, I never thought Edward was anything short of gorgeous. But I hadn't wanted to get into bed with him since finding out I was pregnant for the first time.

"Let's go home." I finally said, very aware that my words sealed that yes, I was up for whatever was going to happen when we finally got there.

The ride back to his house was silent and tense. The only form of communication between us was his firm hand on my thigh, slowly creeping up. We had been pretty physical that year, but not like that.

So when we got inside the house, I didn't give Edward a second to think. Pulling him by the collar of his blazer, I crashed my lips to his without a care. There would be plenty of time to talk, but there would be very few uninterrupted nights to break my cycle of abstinence.

His hands instantly went to my hips, pulling me closer to him. Like last time, there was nothing chaste about our kiss. My perception of how it felt to be that close to Edward had changed a lot. Now a different kind of spark ignited between us. Different from all those years before, there was no rush at all. We were taking our time with each other's bodies.

When his hands tangled in my hair and my neck was exposed to that sinful mouth of his, I pushed him upstairs, because since we were going to have sex anyway, we might as well do it thoroughly.

Once the door was closed behind him, Edward spun me around and pressed my body between his and the door. We were back to kissing again and his hands crept up my thighs and my hips again. That's when I wrapped my legs around him. We removed each other's tops and his right hand was on my left breast as lightly bit my other nipple. With shaking hands, I undid his belt and firmly palmed his erection, which made him groan. I smirked to myself. It was easy to tease Edward. But before I could congratulate myself for that, he had two fingers up inside me. I gasped and it was his turn to smirk.

"You do like that, don't you?" his velvety voice said next to my ear and I lost it. Pushing my hips forward, I gave him a signal that maybe I wanted to take that to bed. He gladly complied, but of course, Edward had the ability to think fast even when his mind was clouded with desire, so I didn't even notice when he pinned my arms and went down on me. When did he take my pants off anyway?

Edward's oral abilities were unlike anything I'd ever experienced. I don't know why. I don't know what it is that he did differently from other guys, but it took me places. He didn't wait for me to come down from my orgasmic high before entering me. It had been a while. Had he always been that big?

So when I finally was able to open my eyes, I saw his angelic face flushed with pleasure. Pushing up my hips, I managed to get on top of him and do things in my rhythm. I didn't quite remember how in sync we'd always been. As physically strong as Edward was, he didn't try to roll me back to underneath him. Just grabbed my hips and helped me keep up my pace. And I had my second orgasm just watching him get his and his eyes roll to the back of his head at the same time his grip on my hips got impossibly tighter.

There was nothing to be said. We fell asleep eventually, and just as we woke up the next day, had sex again. We were staring at the ceiling gasping for air when I finally remembered it was Saturday.

Seth was being discharged that day.

I got up from bed pretty fast and threw my pillow his way.

"What was that for?" he looked at me with wide eyes.

"Get up!" I said, grinning "we have to get ready to go to the hospital for the last time. Seth's coming home, let's go!"

He got up from bed and tried to beat me to the bathroom, but I was already at the door. So he picked me up and we showered together. And did many other things, too, but let's not mention that.

* * *

When we drove to the hospital, an excited conversation took place and we held hands whenever possible. There was nothing awkward at all between us. Quite the opposite. Now everything was kind of out in the open.

When we got there, Carlisle was still in Seth's room. Dr. Smithers was there as well.

""Hey!" she greeted us excitedly. Carlisle looked radiant as well, and Seth… well, I don't even have to mention him. I'd never seen a grin so wide before.

"Hey, baby." I greeted him. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah! Please, can we go now?" he looked at me like he could barely hold his excitement in.

"Just a second, young man. I still have to talk to your parents." Dr. Smithers smiled at him and we left the room with her while Carlisle offered to pack Seth's stuff to finally leave that place for good.

Dr. Smithers explained to us that Seth would have to see the doctor often for the next twelve weeks, but that was just precaution. All his tests results had been within expected for a consistent amount of time, so that meant he was good to go. Everything had finally worked out.

"Thank you, Dr. Smithers." Edward said "We really appreciate everything you've done for him. It's been quite a journey."

She smiled back at us.

"I'm going to miss him, but I'm happy it's for a good reason. I'm really proud of how things have turned out."

We signed his discharge papers and barely an hour later, we were finally ready to go. Seth was not in a hospital gown anymore. His hair was starting to grow back and his expression was just priceless. I'd never seen him happier.

All the nurses said goodbye to Seth, as did all the doctors that treated him. My son had been in that hospital for so long we pretty much knew everyone in the pediatric ward. Some parents whose children still had a while to go hugged us goodbye and I could see the same glimmer of hope in their eyes I saw in mine whenever other kids were also discharged.

I took one of Seth's hands and Edward took the other. We looked into each other's eyes and I smiled. We were finally going home.

Carlisle followed us in his car. Seth was not expecting to see what he saw when we arrived at Edward's house. Everyone was there; Emmett, Rose, Riley, Lily, Alice, Jasper, Arthur, Elise and Natalie, Esme, Austin, Skylar, Kate, Garrett… and my parents. Even I was surprised to see all those people there.

We all had a great time, and even though Seth was still not a hundred percent, he had a blast with the kids. Edward and I spent the day by each other's side, much like the couple everybody already seemed to think we were. His arm was often wrapped around my shoulders or waist, and I really didn't mind. Maybe it was time for us to finally let things happen.

When I was alone at the kitchen, my mother finally approached me.

"Bella." I turned around and Renée had a shy smile on.

"Mom." I said respectfully, hoping that she wouldn't turn things into an argument.

"I'm sorry, honey." I was silent for a second. Renée was very proud; I'd never imagined she would just apologize. "For everything I told you that day. Your kids are gorgeous. Your dad and I love them so much. And now that everything's turned out okay, it's easy to see why you chose to have Skylar. And well… we might have judged him incorrectly, bu I think you're pretty happy with Edward, and if that's the case, then we're happy, too."

She said all that so fast I had to close my eyes to try to make out her words. But I did, and I was thankful. So instead of saying something back, I just walked up to my mom and gave her a hug.

"Thank you." was all I could come up with. Now, we were finally ready to live in peace. At least I hoped so.

* * *

At the end of the day, I looked from where I was standing and just watched. Seth was laughing out loud as he and his cousins put a puzzle together. My brother and my parents were chatting excitedly about something I couldn't quite make out. My best friend and her husband were trying to teach their twin daughters how to walk - and making it. A pair of strong arms hugged me from behind and I smiled.

"What are you thinking?" he asked in my ear.

I just smiled and said,

"Everything turned out way better than I expected. I'm thankful for that."

He smiled back at me and planted a kiss on my lips.

"We all are." 

* * *

**[A/N: Yayyy! So, this sounds like the end, but isn't. Bella and Edward's relationship still has some building to be done, and there's also some mild drama to come (hehe), so bear with me! As always, thank you for reading, and please review! See you soon!]**


	21. Chapter 20

**[A/N: Helloooo! Thank you for your amazing feedback as always! I love it 3 I forgot to write the part where Seth rings the bell when he leaves the hospital - my bad! We have some mild drama coming up, but I can tell you, Seth's not involved. He's safe and sound now. I also appreciate more than I can tell you that some of you who've reviewed my story know people who have gone through similar situations as Seth's or went through them yourselves. Thank you for taking the time to read this! Enjoy this chapter and please review!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT**

* * *

A month flew by us way too fast. At the same time we had a lot to do, what with three kids at home and our jobs, everything was more than great. It was beyond awesome having Seth back home and recovering everyday. I'd never take his health for granted again. Or just the simple things, such as having his toys laying around the house. Edward and I found him a tutor to teach him all the content he'd lost so he would be able to go back to school after winter break. His weekly doctor appointments were going smoothly as well.

Austin was growing up so fast. At almost nine months old, he was crawling everywhere and babbling a lot. Due to being so premature, he had some respiratory problems that often made us see a doctor, but they always told us that while it was nothing bad, it was also chronic, we'd just have to learn how to deal with it. And yes, I say 'we' because I loved that child as if he were my own baby. In a way, he was. I'd been the first female to hold him in my arms and he'd been crucial in Seth's healing, so there was no way that kid wasn't mine.

Skylar was already trying to crawl around, and becoming cuter everyday. She wasn't as smiley as Austin, but was just too adorable with her chubby little cheeks. Even though they were a handful, I loved having babies around the house.

My parents and I were not really speaking so much. Of course, we weren't as bad as before, but I decided that maybe some distance was necessary. I had forgiven them, but still thought I'd been disrespected and needed some time away.

We'd spent Thanksgiving with the Cullens. Em and Rose were invited, too, and it was the happiest I'd been in a long time. When all the nightmare with Seth started, all I wished for is that I'd get to spend another holiday with him. I got way more than I asked for and that made my heart swell.

As for Edward and I… we were sleeping in the same room and obviously living as a couple. Seth might have thought it was weird, because he'd never seen us together, but if he did, he never asked anything.

Sometimes I thought we were moving too fast. It was already like married life, and we'd never even been in a proper relationship. There was not a lot to be said, but at the same time, I felt like we were just falling into a comfortable pattern, and I didn't like that idea. At the same time, he gave me something I never even knew I needed. It was nice waking up to his kisses, having someone who craved to touch me, even if just to kiss my cheek after he came home from work or hold me while we watched a movie. Edward was warmer to me than Jacob had ever been. I could count on the fingers of one hand the nights we didn't have sex. I'm not talking about lust only. There was something else.

I also found out that I thought of him all the time. When I was at the store and saw something that reminded me of him, I had to buy it. Maybe I was in love with Edward, after all. But even though I was happy and in love, there was something inside me that was missing. The process of publishing my book had been interrupted due to Seth's leukemia. I'd just started over, but everything I did was so automatic. Of course I loved spending time with Edward and my kids, and I did that wholeheartedly, but whenever I thought of myself only… I didn't know who I was anymore. What I liked. What I wanted to do with my life from then on. Dedicating a year and a half to a sick child only left me no time to process how I felt about my divorce, about my parents not being an active part of my life, how I felt about being practically married to Edward, or even about being a mom for the second time AND a stepmom. I didn't know how everything that had happened made me feel yet.

* * *

When Christmas came, Alice invited us to her house. As usual, the Cullens were there, plus my brother and his family, who didn't want to spend the holidays with my parents in Forks. I felt a little bad knowing they were probably alone, but well, truth be told, Alice had invited them too, but they declined, so be it. I wasn't about to grab my kids and have them spend Christmas away from their cousins just to appease my parents. At any other point in my life, I would have driven to Forks in a heartbeat. Now, not really.

Ali was over the moon about the fact that Edward and I were together. His whole family were pretty happy, and they all said they knew it was just a matter of time. That they always knew we were meant to be. Even Emmett chimed in. The only one who kept quiet was Rose, because as usual, she could see right through me. Later that night, while everybody exchanged presents, she and I started talking in a quiet corner of the Cullen mansion.

"Are you okay?" her face seemed genuinely worried, and I knew she wasn't talking about anything concerning that particular night.

"I don't know."

Her eyes were sympathetic and she held my hand.

"What is it, Bella?"

I ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't know, Rose. I'm happy that Seth's back home. I love my kids. I love Edward and I'm beyond happy with him. He's a good father and he's a good… husband. Boyfriend. Whatever. I didn't know we could get along that well again. But you know… something's missing. Not when it comes to him, but from me. I don't know what I like anymore. I ate fish tonight. I hate fish. I just ate it because I was used to eating it at the hospital. I spend all day taking care of my kids, and I love it, but then, I sit down to read a book and I don't know what I liked reading anymore. I'm an editor and a writer, for crying out loud. I don't even care if I like the clothes I'm wearing. You know? I know change is inevitable, but this goes beyond that. I don't know who I am anymore, and I'm scared that I'm only doing things because I'm used to them."

She sighed.

"You went through a lot. Edward was a rock to you, and he had it pretty rough as well. I don't think you should break up, you're obviously happy together. But Bells, I do think you should take some time for yourself to get your life back on track. To manage your expectations, to find out who you are after everything that happened. I don't think that you have processed any of it and maybe jumping into a marriage with Edward right away will make room for conflict eventually."

I nodded, because she basically translated what had been on my mind those last few days.

"I know. I've been thinking of talking to him, but I obviously don't want to hurt him."

She put a hand on my shoulder.

"Bella, if he really loves you, and I'm pretty sure he does, he's going to respect your decision. Besides, you're not breaking up with him, you're just taking your time."

I smiled.

"Thank you, Rose."

* * *

An hour later, Edward and I went back home. The kids were heavily asleep, including Seth, and Edward's hand going up my thigh already gave me a good idea of what was going to happen when we arrived. I knew I had to talk to him, but that talk could (and maybe should) totally wait until the next day.

We tucked everybody in and went to our room. Earlier that day, I'd given Edward a watch as a Christmas present. He loved it, since he'd lost his old one at the hospital and we'd never been able to retrieve it.

"I have something for you." he said excitedly. "Close your eyes."

I shut them and felt him come up behind me, pull my hair to the side and a cold necklace was put around my neck. Then, he gently guided me to the front of the mirror.

"Okay, you can look now."

Sure enough, I saw a three charm necklace. Looking closer, I saw my children's little faces engraved in them. I absolutely loved it.

"It's perfect! You didn't have to!"

We hugged and I planted a kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Bella."

I froze. That was the first time he'd ever said that to me. Of course I knew that, but actually hearing it was different. And honestly… there was no way I didn't feel the same, which is part of why I needed so badly to be okay with myself again.

"I love you, too." I replied. Because it was true.

We kissed again and as his hands went up under my blouse, I knew we weren't going to sleep so soon.

* * *

The next day, I woke up later than usual. Edward was not in bed, but I heard Seth's laugh downstairs and Austin and Skylar's little giggles. They were probably opening up the presents, so I decided to get up at once.

I went into the bathroom, but realized my toothbrush looked terrible, so I decided to throw it away, and went into the bathroom I used before moving to Edward's room to get a new one.

Then I noticed a box of tampons sealed closed sitting in the cabinet. I briefly remembered buying it after last time I'd had a period, around three days after Seth was discharged. When I thought about the date, I realized I was around ten to fourteen days late.

Panic immediately took over me. I remembered Edward and I didn't really use protection. Not because we deliberately decided not to, we just completely forgot it even existed. But I didn't want to be pregnant. Not in the state of mind I was in. I could take being pregnant again. Of course I knew I'd love a new baby, but now was so not the time for me.

With shaking hands, I brushed my teeth and went downstairs, trying not to look too worried. Seth didn't realize anything, since he was way too happy about the new videogame Edward and I had bought him. But Edward did. At first, he didn't say anything, but as I was doing breakfast, he came up behind me.

"Are you okay?" his hand softly smoothed my hair and I sighed.

"I'm late."

"Late for what?" he asked with a frown. I just blinked. Then, his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh." he made a frown again. "Oh. We… forgot what protection means, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

He was contemplative for a second and then looked at me.

"Do you think you are… you know, that you're pregnant?"

I shrugged.

"I haven't felt anything. I'm not even bloated."

"Maybe you're just late for whatever reason. It happens. But hey…" he grabbed my face in both his hands "if you are pregnant, it's okay. We weren't really planning on it, but it'll be fine."

I nodded. So different from the first time I got pregnant. It was a nice change to Edward, but I really didn't want to be pregnant at all. And my sense of needing to get away to clear my head just increased.

* * *

After we had breakfast, I decided to go to the drugstore to get a test. Edward thought it was weird, but I couldn't live with the doubt for much longer. So when I got back home, I immediately went upstairs and peed on the test. My hands shook badly and I just didn't know what to if it turned out to be a positive.

So I waited.

Not five minutes, like the instructions recommended. I waited at least fifteen minutes before I gathered the courage to look at it. And when I did… there was just one line. I looked at it from every angle. No second line. Nothing. According to that test, I was not expecting a baby.

So I went downstairs feeling relieved, but also a little weird that I was so lost inside myself I wouldn't be able to celebrate being pregnant with the baby of the man I loved.

I took that as a sign that I had to talk to Edward so I could make up my mind and live a life with him where I could make new plans, and not just go with the motions.

He was at the living room holding Skylar in his arms. I noticed he was silently asking me what the result had been, so I shook my head slowly. He mouthed 'are you okay' and I nodded. Em and Rose came over later and I knew she wanted to talk to me, but right then, I just couldn't. A conversation between Edward and I was in order, and it couldn't wait until the next day.

* * *

So after Em and Rose had left and I tucked the kids in, I was sitting in our bed when Edward entered the room and smiled at me.

"Are you okay? You seem pretty quiet."

There was no way to sugarcoat this, so I just said,

"Edward, I'm moving out."

* * *

 **[A/N: I hope you understand where Bella is coming from when she says she doesn't know what to do with her life. It has NOTHING to with not loving Edward or not loving her children, but she needs to find herself again! More to come in the next chapter. See you soon!]**


	22. Chapter 21

**[A/N: Okay, it's me again! Sorry, I just couldn't hold it until Friday, when I was intended to upload. So yeah, there you go! Now I'm on vacay, so I tend to upload more often! Enjoy :)]**

He just looked at me while his smile slowly faded.

"Bella...what are you talking about? Are you okay? Did I do something?"

At this point, I was already crying. I didn't even know where that came from. I didn't want to move out, not at all. My kids were happy, everyone was happy, but I didn't know what to do! I just didn't feel the same and it was making me desperate.

I hid my face in my hands and felt as he climbed into bed and held me.

"What is it? Are you… do you want to break up with me?"

I just shook my head no, because I really didn't.

"I'm sorry. I'm not thinking straight, I just… I don't know what's going on, Edward. I don't know who I am or what I want things to be like from now on. It's different than when I had Seth. He changed my life, but this… it seems like while Seth was sick, I was living my life underwater. And now I came up to the surface again and everything's different. For the better, yes, of course. But I still couldn't find myself in the middle of all of this. Suddenly, I'm kinda married to you. It's amazing, but where did that come from? I do love you, but it's like I woke up from a bad dream and I'm trying to figure out if this is real life? I'm not used to living a life where my parents are not part of it. It's like now I realize I have two more kids I didn't have time to prepare for. That's why I didn't want to be pregnant this time - not because I don't want other kids, I just don't want them while I don't even know who I am!" I sobbed and felt him kiss my temple

"Bella. You don't see yourself now, but I do. And you're doing so well, love. I understand what you're saying, it really does feel like we woke up one day and our son was home with us, my ex is dead, you got a divorce, your parents were mean to you. Our son getting sick was an extreme situation and extreme things happened. Now that everything has calmed down, we're all over the place. I know. I kinda feel that way, too, but I can manage. But please, please don't move out. We've established a nice routine. Our son just got back home after almost fifteen months at the hospital, and he's doing better after eighteen months of his diagnosis. We have a baby who's crawling everywhere and a little girl who looks more and more like you everyday. We love you. If you want me to sleep in the guest room until we figure it out, no problem. If you feel like you should spend a day with your parents or get away for the weekend with Rose and Ali, no problem, either, I'll stay with the kids. Don't run from this, Bella. I've been with you since the beginning and this is where I stand. Don't move out. In my opinion, this is a matter of time, but if isn't, we know where to get help."

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I should have talked to you before, it's just that… I didn't want to ruin this. I didn't want you to think that I wasn't happy with you, because I am. I just… I don't know. I don't know where to start."

"Start here. You're home. Our kids are growing up, Seth's going back to school, your book is about to be published. Things are happening, Bella. Give yourself some time. I'm here. And I'm not leaving."

He gave me a light kiss on the lips.

"We should get some sleep. Do you want me to sleep in the guest room? It's fine by me."

I violently shook my head no. For some reason, while before I felt like being away from him was the best idea, now I didn't.

"Please stay."

And so he did. And for that night, I allowed myself to be okay with the fact that I didn't know what the future held. I didn't know who I was. But was that really so much of a problem?

* * *

[EPOV]

Bella's reaction the previous night had scared me a little. I couldn't really be okay with the fact that she had made the most drastic decision and I didn't have a clue she was feeling like that.

Maybe she was right. Maybe we were moving too fast. We went from 'not-talking-to-each-other-unless-it-had-something-to-do-with-Seth' to 'suddenly married' in a year where chaos had ensued in our lives. Maybe it really was a lot to take in. But well… I loved her. And for me, there was no point in waiting.

Charlie and Renée had invited us to spend New Year's with them in Forks. Since they'd just bought a huge house near the woods, everyone had been invited, and for me, it was a way to apologize to Bella, but also to make amends with me and my family. Bella was hesitant, but I told her that maybe it would be a good idea. They were welcoming me and my parents, after all. And my sister. Perhaps it was time to be a family. And I'm sure this would help her ease her mind a bit.

I was packing my stuff when I came across the small velvety box which contained the ring I wanted to give Bella. Yes, I was going to propose to her the same night she abruptly told me she wanted to move out. So I decided the timing was not right, but threw it in my suitcase anyway.

Seth begged us to ride with Emmett, since he wanted to be with Riley and Lily whereas in our car, he would have to keep quiet in order not to wake Austin and Skylar up. So Bella and I let him. Then, my parents asked me to take Austin and Skylar in the car with them. I didn't think it was too weird, since my mom often had them for the day, but the way she looked at me told me she knew something was up between Bella and I and she wanted us to make it up. As always.

So it was just Bella and I in the Volvo. Throughout that week, we talked normally. She was a little quieter than usual, but I think she was doing better. I tried to give her space and I think that little by little, she was cheering up.

"How are you?" I asked her when we left home to go to Forks and she smiled timidly.

"Okay, I guess." she went on to tell me about how publishing her book was going, and I noticed that maybe what she needed was to get back on track with her work. Well, it was not all she needed, but being back on a routine would certainly help.

Bella had always been one to feel everything deeply and abruptly. She always had trouble dealing with her emotions. I had a problem with denial, but she always felt everything tenfold, to the point where it got difficult for her to be rational.

The roads were slippery because of the ice, but I was driving slowly. Now, Bella and I were chatting excitedly about the upcoming release of the superhero movie we wanted to watch. Then, I heard a loud screeching noise. I didn't even have time to swerve before something hit me and everything faded to blackness.

 **[A/N: So yeah, I tried to mislead you from the real drama, but I couldn't hold it XD. Now there it is! I'll see you soon!]**


	23. Chapter 22

**[A/N: Hi, there! As always, I'd like to thank you all for your amazing feedback, all the reviews, favs, follows, reccs and so on. Posting this story makes me happy! I'd also like to point out that yes, this story is a drama fic. And if you think no one has so many unfortunate things happen to them like this in real life, I invite you to work at any hospital and listen to patient stories, lol! So yeah, Edward and Bella are going through some rough times. I'm focusing on their emotions, feelings and reactions, separately and as a couple. This is a story about growth. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

[BPOV]

In the distance, I could hear sirens. Opening my eyes made everything hurt, so I avoided doing that as much as possible. I could hear faint voices talking to me, but I wasn't able to answer. I tried reaching out for Edward, but my arms felt way too heavy and someone's hand stopped me.

I think I was in an ambulance next, slipping in and out of consciousness. I couldn't see anything from my surroundings, and even though I was worried about Edward and our families, eventually everything faded to black.

What felt like months later, I woke up. There was a white ceiling above me and an annoying beep somewhere near me. I raised my right arm and felt the uncomfortable tug of an IV catheter. My head still hurt a little and I could see bruises on my hands.

"Ow." I said. There was no one near me, so I pressed the red button I knew to be somewhere next to my left hand. I knew hospitals far too well by this point.

In no time, a nurse and a doctor entered my room. I recognized the doctor as Dr. Lang, one of Carlisle's colleagues.

"Am I… Am I in Port Angeles?" my voice sounded hoarse.

"Yes. You were in a car accident yesterday and the rescue team decided to bring you here, since you were fairly close by. It seems like you hit your head pretty hard, but there's no brain swelling and no fractures. You'll be fine."

I could feel bandages over my forehead, which made me think that maybe I had a gash near my hairline. I faintly remember hitting my head against the window.

"Your airbags apparently work pretty well. Had it been any other car, you probably wouldn't have been so lucky."

"Um… what about my... Edward? How is he?"

This time, his face clouded a little.

"His condition is a little more delicate. For the time being, we still don't know what's going to happen, but we're doing our best."

Tears wanted to fall, and I really, really wanted to scream, but I knew they would have me sedated if I did, so I just bit my lip and tried to take a deep breath.

"There are some people outside who are dying to see you. Can I let them in?"

"Um… I don't want my kids to see me like this. Not now."

"It's not them. Carlisle wants to see you."

I nodded and tried to wipe my face. Dr. Lang and the nurse excused themselves and then, Carlisle came in. He had a gentle smile on, as always, but I knew he was worried. He helped me sit up on the bed and sat in front of me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"What I know is that the guy who was driving the car that hit you lost control. If the roads weren't slippery, he probably would have managed to stay on his lane and not hit you, but…"

We were silent for a second. I didn't fall unconscious immediately after the hit, but I couldn't remember much.

"The problem is that Edward probably hit his head before the airbags could work. Also… I'm not sure the other driver is going to make it."

That made more tears spring to my eyes. Even though the guy hit us, it was not his fault, and I wished from the bottom of my heart that he would recover.

"Is Edward going to make it? How is he? Dr. Lang didn't say much, I know, I know he's not allowed to, but I have to know!"

I squeezed Carlisle's hand and he sighed.

"He had some brain swelling and a fracture to his skull. Thankfully, the fracture wasn't too serious, it didn't expose his brain, neither are the fragments pressing down on it. They put him in a coma and have been trying to make his brain tissue go back to normal. There haven't been any major changes, but he's responding within expected. He also had a fracture to his leg, very similar to your brother's, but that's been taken care of."

I took another deep breath.

"So… he's going to make it?"

"Looks like it."

I was a little more relieved now, but I don't know how much Carlisle was hiding. I wanted to see him, but at that moment, even moving my arms hurt.

"How are the kids?"

"They're with Emmett. Seth wants to see you both, but I thought it would be best if you woke up first. I just hope Edward doesn't take too long."

I gave him a sad smile. Was it possible that we never, ever got a break?

Carlisle and I talked a bit more and then he left me alone to rest. Due to the high dose of painkillers I was under, I fell asleep again.

* * *

The next day, I was feeling a little better and Emmett came to see me.

"Everyone's dying to see you, but the doctors asked us to come in one at a time. Carlisle told me how you were doing, so I wanted to see you first."

"Thank you. How are the kids?"

"Esme has them. Seth's been asking about you a lot, but we decided to bring him when Edward wakes up."

I nodded. He was going to wake up, right?

Dr. Lang cleared me to take a walk if I wanted to. Since my headache had diminished considerably, I decided that maybe I needed to get up. Emmett helped me out of bed. My body was still sore, but I didn't find it that difficult to walk. Em held my arms and tried to guide me through the corridors, but since he was temporarily using a cane due to his recovering leg, I went on my own most of the time.

"Em… do you think that maybe… I could see Edward?"

My brother and I exchanged glances, and I knew he was worried about how I was going to react.

"I… I guess so."

He went over to the nurses' station to ask them where Edward was. At first, they didn't want to tell him, but he explained that Edward's wife wanted to see him, and they caved.

We slowly made our way to the ICU. When we reached Edward's room, I asked Em to go in by myself. He stood right outside waiting for me.

Edward had lots of bruises on the left side of his face. His head was bandaged and he had wires attached all over his arms. There was a steady beeping that filled the room and his leg was immobilized.

I hated seeing him like that. He was so unnaturally still and his hands were so cold that for a moment, I couldn't help but imagine the worst. Hot tears made my eyes burn, but I took a deep breath. He was going to be okay. I couldn't go there. Now was so not the time to lose control.

I leaned over and gave his right cheek a kiss.

"Get better soon. I love you, and I'm waiting for you."

I left his room and just as I expected, I broke down in my brother's arms.

"It's okay, Bells. It's going to be okay."

I remembered everything I'd told him that night and how lost I felt. Now everything just felt much more real, and I knew just what was going on and how to feel about it, but that didn't mean it was good.

Em took me back to my room and sat me down on the bed.

"You're going to see a therapist."

"I was seeing a therapist until-"

"Until Skylar was born and then you got busy and forgot to show up at her office again. I know. And I know your mind is somewhere else right now, but you're going to squeeze in your appointments, or else you're going to snap. You can't tell your boyfriend you're going to move out and then tell him you don't mean it."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, let's just say that maybe Edward told Jasper and he might have let it slip to Rose to see if we could help you. Obviously we didn't have time to talk."

"It's just… my life changed a lot and I didn't have time to process, that's all."

"And that's perfectly understandable, given everything you've been through, but when it makes you make stupid decisions out of nowhere, even if you don't mean them, maybe it's time to seek professional help."

I nodded. Em was right. Besides, on top of everything else, I felt tired. Maybe I really needed someone who didn't know me to shed a different light on everything.

Dr. Lang came in and examined me once again.

"How are you feeling after taking a walk, Ms. Swan?" his voice was kind.

"I'm good. Better than I expected."

"It looks like we can discharge you tomorrow, then. Let's see how your night goes, but it looks like you're good to go."

I sighed.

"Dr. Lang… I know you can't tell me a lot about Edward, because we're technically not married, but I'm sure you know the kind of relationship we have, and I'm worried." the whole hospital knew Edward and I had split from our previous partners and were together when Seth was discharged. Or at least they suspected it.

"It seems like his brain swelling has gone down and we're ready to wake him up anytime now. I just don't know what's going to happen when he wakes up."

I took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Dr. Lang."

He excused himself and made his way out.

"I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow. Can I bring Seth with me?" Em said

"Yes, please. I miss him."

He gave me a kiss on the forehead and left. I found out that my phone had broken down in the accident and there was nothing for me to do, so I turned on the television and watched some old TV show until I was sleepy.

* * *

The next day, Emmett and Seth arrived at 11 a.m.

"Mommy!" Seth climbed into the hospital bed with me. Since I was not hooked to any IVs anymore, I guess it was okay.

"Hi, honey! I missed you!"

"Missed you too. Does anything hurt?" he said, touching the bruises on my hands lightly.

"No. I'm okay now." he smiled and I kissed his forehead.

"How's daddy?" my smile faded a little.

"I guess… he's going to wake up soon. He'll be fine."

He just nodded and we started talking about his expectations on going back to school in two days. Esme, Carlisle and I had a talk about that and we decided that we should try and keep Seth's routine going within planned as much as possible. However, I called the school's principal and told him what was happening. If Seth showed any signs of distress, they must call us immediately and we would pick him up. Still, I thought he would clear his mind at school with his friends, whereas if he stayed home, he would be surrounded by worried adults.

Dr. Lang entered my room twenty minutes later. After a thorough assessment, he discharged me.

"You're good to go, Ms. Swan. If you have any symptoms such as blurry vision, strong headaches or slurred speech, you're to come in immediately. Okay?"

I nodded.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"And…" he looked expectant "Mr. Cullen is up. If you want to see him, now's the time."

* * *

 **[EPOV]**

I seriously felt like I'd been asleep an entire year. The clarity made my eyes burn and I punched the red button to call a nurse. My head hurt like fucking hell and my leg weighed a ton. I briefly remembered feeling a sharp pain and hitting my head hard, but I have no idea what happened after.

My head hurt as if my skull was fractured, and then it occurred to me that maybe it was.

"Fuck." I muttered, but my voice didn't come out. How long had I been out for?

Just then, a man I recognized as Dr. Lang came in.

"Mr. Cullen!" his voice was cheerful, but low, thank goodness "You're back. How are you feeling?"

"Like death. Ow."

He chuckled.

"Yeah, that's what we expected. Do you remember what happened?"

"Not really. I know there was a crash."

"Yes. You hit your head pretty hard. There was some brain swelling and a small fracture in your skull. Thankfully, the organ was not exposed and we didn't need surgery. You also broke your leg. We had to induce a coma in order to control the brain swelling, but your latest scans showed us that it's mostly gone now. You should be fine."

I tried to nod, but the pain didn't let me.

"How long…?"

"Almost seventy-two hours."

"Am I going to be okay? Long term."

His face clouded a little.

"We have no reason to believe you'll face any serious consequences long term. You may experience mood swings, migraines and trouble sleeping, but they should be totally gone in a few months. As to your leg, if you go to physical therapy and follow all our recommendations, you should be fine as well."

"Everything hurts…"

"Yeah, I bet. We'll give you some painkillers."

"Bella… how's Bella?"

"She also hit her head, but it was nothing serious. She will be discharged in a few hours."

"I'd like to see her."

He nodded.

"I'll tell her to stop by before she leaves. Now get some rest. The pain should probably get a little better in a few minutes." he said as the nurse injected something into my IV bag.

I nodded and he left. The medicine made me a little drowsy, but I was still conscious.

A little more than an hour later, I heard someone at the door. Bella and Seth were standing there. I didn't have time to see her before my son came running to the side of the bed.

"Daddy!" he said a little louder than I expected and my head almost exploded. I gripped the sheets so tight my knuckles turned white.

"Honey!" I heard Bella's shushed voice "Daddy has a strong headache, we have to keep our voices down, okay?"

Seth put his hand over his mouth and then said 'sorry' in a whisper. I didn't mean to greet my son like that after being unconscious for days, but I couldn't help it.

When I looked at them both, I noticed Bella had a dressing on the side of her forehead. There were also some bruises on her hands and arms. Otherwise, she looked fine.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me in a soft voice.

"Not great." my response came out grumpier than I intended, but I really couldn't help it. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Now I am."

Seth briefly told me about the presents Charlie and Renée had given him, and I tried my best to pay him some attention. I even managed a smile when I noticed how healthy he looked and how happy he was, in spite of everything that had happened to Bella and I.

"We're gonna let you rest." she said and I closed my eyes again. "I'll stop by later, okay?"

I tried to nod, and then noticed that Bella wanted to lean down and give me a kiss but refrained from doing so. I don't know if it was because she thought I was in pain and didn't want to disturb me even further or if it was because of our weird situation. Either way, I was too uncomfortable to give it much thought.

After she and Seth left, the nurse came in to lower the lights and I was able to get some sleep.

* * *

 **[BPOV]**

Emmett took Seth and I to his place. I thought my son would be sad, but when I asked him about how he was, he said that hospitals were really painful and made people cranky, so he wasn't mad at his dad for not talking to him properly. I guess having stayed at a hospital for so long made him mature emotionally when it came to that kind of situation.

When we got to my brother's house, Rose, her kids and my parents were there. Skylar and Austin were asleep in their strollers. Alice, Carlisle and Esme sent me messages saying we'd see each other soon and wishing me a quick recovery.

Since Riley, Lily and Seth all went to the same school, Rose insisted that I stayed with them, at least for a few days. In fact, the doctor had told Emmett that it would be good if I had company for a while, in case something happened. My scans were good, but you never know. Besides, I would stay at the hospital with Edward, therefore needed help with the kids. As always, Rose was an angel in my life. She now managed her store from home and that meant I could help her with stuff as well.

I had just finished eating and was washing my part of the dishes when my parents walked into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, Bells?" my dad asked. I turned around to answer him.

"I'm okay, I guess. Still a little sore, of course, but other than that, I'm good."

"We were so worried about you, honey." my mom chimed in "And Edward as well. How is he?"

I sighed.

"Well, he's awake now. And the doctors think he'll be fine. But he was in a lot of pain when I last saw him. I'm worried." tears sprung to my eyes and my mom hugged me.

"He'll be fine, honey. These things take time, that's normal."

I nodded.

"We should go there to see him tomorrow." I looked up at my father. I knew him well enough to know when he was being sincere, and that seemed to be the case. Again, I just nodded.

"We also wanted to talk to you about something else."

"Yes?"

They both seemed apprehensive, so I knew they'd given it much thought.

"First… we decided we want to move to Port Angeles. To be closer to you and your brother."

I was taken aback by the news.

"You just bought a new house! And a huge one at that! What are you going to do?"

"Yeah, well, we're not moving next week." my father clarified. "It's more of a long term decision. We're probably selling the house, but not now."

I nodded. My mom continued.

"We also talked to Emmett while you were at the hospital and he told us a few things. He mentioned that you told Edward you wanted to move out, but then didn't, and how confused you're feeling about everything. Your dad and I felt like maybe it's time we had a sincere talk with you. We have never been through what you've been through with your son, but I think we can have a heart to heart conversation."

I just hoped they wouldn't make things worse and we wouldn't get into a fight. But I nodded anyway and my father continued.

"When you got pregnant with Seth, we didn't think it was the best case scenario. When you told us how Edward behaved when you told him, we were really mad. But we never, not even for a second, had any shade of doubt that you would be a great mother. And we love Seth. He's the sweetest kid we know, and you're doing an amazing job raising him. It turns out Edward is a good father, too, even though you guys were distant, but we held a grudge. When you met Jacob… well, we really thought you were walking into a happy marriage with someone that would add something to your life. To us, you were happy when you got married, so everything seemed to be okay.

"When Seth got sick, you closed off. It's completely understandable. Your mother and I are sorry that we weren't around more often when you obviously needed us. Jacob started telling Billy how distant you were. How you wouldn't allow him to get close. How you and Edward were warming up to each other. And whenever we saw you, that's what it looked like. Then, you decided to have another baby with Edward and we didn't agree with that. Of course, it's easy to say you don't agree when you're hundreds of miles away. We're sorry about that."

I didn't say anything in return. My mom went on.

"I know we were way out of line, and we had a lot of time to think about how we'd like things to be. It turns out that Edward matured and is a different person, whereas we were wrong about Jacob. And wrong about many things. We love your kids. We want to be around them, around you, and we want Edward to be a part of our family, since he's going to be yours. And well… regarding everything Em told us about how confused and out of place you've been feeling, I'd like to tell you, not only as your mother, but as a woman, that given everything you've been through, what you're feeling sounds reasonable. It's okay to not know who you are, Bells, because you don't. These experiences change us forever. I'm glad to know you're going to therapy, but we want you to know that we're here."

My parents' words were comforting. I needed to hear that. I appreciated the fact that they wanted to move closer to us. There was no way to fix what was broken, but maybe we could start on a new page.

"Thank you. That's… good to hear. I accept your apology and I understand where you're coming from. However, I have to be very honest. There's no way to fix what happened. I spent fifteen months with my sick child at the hospital. I went through a risky pregnancy and a divorce because my ex-husband couldn't afford to understand my point. I know I didn't explain things to him, I know I didn't really make an effort to communicate my thoughts and feelings, but all my energy was focused on my son, and I'm not going to apologize for that. I didn't have the time nor the energy to sit down with Jacob and have lengthy conversations about our future as a couple. I know I hurt him, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm not sorry for having Skylar. And I'm not sorry for being with Edward. He was my rock, and I'm not talking about the fact that he is Seth's father. He was there for me through everything. I'm just sorry that when we finally got together, I was still waiting for bad things to happen and my brain refuses to get comfortable and happy. Anyway, throughout all of what happened, I can count on the fingers of one hand the times you came over to see Seth. Every phone call we had turned into a fight about my damn marriage. That was not what I needed, and now I can definitely move on and forgive that, but it's impossible to forget. I don't want to cut ties with you. I need you both in my life and so does Seth, he's told me so. But I hope what happened can teach us all a lesson and draw some lines so we can have a fresh start."

They looked deep in thought by the time we were finished, but then, both nodded.

"We're sorry, baby girl."

The three of us hugged and then they left the kitchen without another word. Rose looked at me from the living room and gave me a supportive smile. I hoped that we could spend some quality time together now. I missed my friend so much.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Carlisle.

"Edward's doing better."

I smiled. There was no way to predict how things would be from now on, but at least I knew what I wanted. Searching through my list, I dialed my therapist number.

It was time to make things work.

 **[A/N: Some medical situations have been slightly changed for the sake of fiction. Please review! See you soon!]**


	24. Chapter 23

**[A/N: Well, hello there! First things first, I'd like to thank you for your support to this story. As said before, I absolutely love writing it, and having such positive feedback makes me very, VERY happy! I would also like to apologize for taking so long to update. Since my bf's granny passed away in July, I've been feeling a little down, for that reason, I haven't been active on social media or anything like that. Anyway, this is the chapter before the last! I'll also post an epilogue later on. Enjoy!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

 **EPOV**

A few days later, my leg felt better and the head injury didn't bother me as much anymore. The only problem is that I was in the worst mood I'd ever been. Dr. Lang said it could happen and was probably temporary.

Bella was there for me everyday. All the time. I appreciated it a lot, but my foul mood made me a pain in the ass to be around and I knew that. Sometimes silly thoughts came to my mind. For example, I thought that if I had just let her move out like she said she wanted to, we wouldn't have been on our way to Forks that day, and therefore wouldn't have been hit. It was a stupid thought, selfish even, but I couldn't help it. Bella was frustrating sometimes. Now, for example, she was with me through every grumpy morning. I guess she was really worried, but it made me mad to think that just a few days before she was willing to move out.

Carlisle told me she was seeing a therapist, which was good, and I wanted to believe she was really trying because she wanted to be with me, but sometimes I doubted it. An accident had to happen for her to finally figure out what the hell she wanted. At the same time I knew I was being selfish, it also hurt me.

Seth was back to school and I was really sad with the fact I was not home to drive him every morning. Sometimes Bella would bring Austin and Sky for me to see. They were getting so big! Austin already stood up on his own, but still couldn't walk. Skylar was teething. I just wanted to get out of that damn hospital to live my life again. Jasper often called me so that we could discuss some cases. Even when Seth was very sick at that very hospital, I never stopped working, so it made me feel a little more normal.

* * *

Around seven days after waking up from my induced coma, I was having a particularly bad day. My headache was back, not as bad as before, but still there. My leg was also giving me a hard time, and Bella had left to see her therapist. I didn't want to sound like a selfish jerk, but all that pain made me feel alone. I just wanted someone to talk to and it made me angry for some reason I wasn't able to verbalize.

When she came back, I was trying to get up from bed using the damn crutches. I hated them. I hated everything about that hospital. I hated being reminded of Seth when he was sick, of Bella miscarrying one of the babies, of Tanya dropping dead next to me. It's true all my kids had been born there, but so many awful things had happened inside those walls, I just wanted to get the hell away and never look back.

"Here, let me help." Bella said when I tried for the second time to get up from bed to no avail. That made me mad. I didn't want to need help. And no matter how much she tried, for some reason I couldn't concentrate enough on what I was doing and that made my blood boil, so I forcefully dropped the crutches on the floor and they made a loud noise. Bella was a little startled and I instantly regretted it, but my frustration got the best of me.

"Do you want to get out of the room for a bit? I could get you a wheelchair."

I sure as hell didn't want a fucking wheelchair.

"No." I forcefully rubbed my eyes.

"Are you sure? I-"

"No!" I said a little louder this time "I just want to be alone, okay?"

I didn't. I didn't want to be alone at all. Much on the contrary, to be quite honest, but at that time, I couldn't tell what was on my mind.

"Okay." Bella grabbed her things and left. For the first time, she left my room for no special reason and I felt like a fucking jerk. Laying back down on that uncomfortable bed, I tried to calm myself down and eventually managed to get some sleep.

* * *

 **[BPOV]**

I drove back to Emmett's on the verge of tears. I knew Edward wasn't his normal self, I knew he was in pain. I was seeing a therapist and we'd already talked about that. But I felt helpless and useless seeing him like that and not being able to do anything.

Ever since the day after Christmas, we hadn't spoken properly, just small talk. After the accident, things got worse, since I did pretty much all the talking and he would give me sarcastic remarks in response. I tried my best to be patient and ignore it, but when he dropped the crutches, it was clear to me that we both needed some space.

Seth was back to school and we were still staying with Rose and Em. Skylar and Austin were in daycare a few hours a day and Rose would stay with them when I was at the hospital. She was a true angel, I'd never be able to thank her enough. Sky was teething, and therefore very, very fussy, even more than any of her brothers had been. As for Austin… well, he said his first word. And it was "ma-ma".

Directed at me.

When he said it, I froze. Of course I knew we were developing a mother-son relationship, I wanted it to happen, but it was a bit shocking. In a good way, of course.

I just hoped his dad and I could work things out.

I parked in their driveway and got out of the car. Wiping my eyes, I used the key Rose had given me and entered their hallway.

"Hello!" I said aloud into the house. I heard Seth's footsteps coming from the kitchen, and saw his little eyes lighten up. He was looking much healthier and his hair had grown back.

"Mom! You're early!" I kissed his cheek.

"Yes, I am! I missed you!"

"Is daddy alone at the hospital?"

My smile faltered.

"Yeah, but he's fine, honey. Besides, the doctors had to run some tests. I'll be back to see him tomorrow."

I knew from his expression he didn't believe me entirely, but we dropped the subject. He went upstairs to play with Lily and Riley, and I walked into the kitchen to greet Rose. Skylar and Austin were asleep in their strollers next to the table.

"Hey!" she said "They just fell asleep. The lady at the daycare told me Sky had a rough day, so I gave her some medicine. She had a low fever."

"Thank you." My poor baby. Her little face was still stained with the tears she cried all day.

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked.

"Oh, well, you know… Edward's a little cranky."

"Oh, Bella, that's the understatement of the century. Was he rude to you?"

"You could say that."

Her blue eyes squared my face carefully.

"How are you feeling? Is therapy working?"

"I guess so." I shrugged "I mean, now I know it's okay to feel these emotions and to have doubts, there's nothing to worry about, I'm not crazy. But well, the accident definitely made me put some things into perspective. I'm taking my time with everything, but at least I know I really want to make it work with Edward."

She nodded slowly and offered me a sympathetic smile.

"It'll be fine. Maybe he needs some time as well. Are you ready to give him some space if you have to?"

I didn't know the answer to that. Of course I would never force Edward to be around me if he didn't want to, but I really hoped we wouldn't get to that.

Not too long after that conversation, Em arrived. We had a great time together, like it hadn't happened in a while. He was aware of everything that was going on with me and his support meant the world. Our parents tried to reach out to me several times during those last few days, but I didn't really want to talk to or see them.

I was going upstairs to the guest room I'd been sleeping in with the kids when my phone vibrated. It was a new message from Carlisle.

 _"Edward will be discharged tomorrow at 1 p.m"_

My heart started pummeling in my chest. He was coming home!

I raced upstairs and put what little stuff I had into a bag. In a separate one, I put the babies' clothes and diapers. I needed to get home to set things up. Then, Em knocked on my door. His expression changed to one of surprise when he noticed I was preparing to leave.

"Hey, what happened? Where are you going?"

"Edward's being discharged tomorrow. I need to go home." I could barely hold my smile in.

"Hey, that's great news." he beamed "Is Seth going home, too? Can he stay tonight? It's a school night, kids are getting ready for bed. I promise I'll drop him at your place tomorrow."

It seemed like a good idea. It would be great if Edward was already home when he arrived.

"Ok. Sounds good. Thank you. I just need to get Austin and Skylar."

A few minutes later, I was out. Seth was really happy to know Edward would go home soon, but wanted to spend the night at Em's house. I knew he was anxious, because so was I, and having Lily and Riley around would help him get distracted.

As soon as I got home, I gave Austin and Sky a bath and they fell asleep soon after. The medicine Rose had given her apparently calmed her down a bit. Then, I started cleaning and rearranging the furniture so that Edward would be able to move around easily. I knew I was tired, but didn't feel like sleeping at all. I don't even know what to expect, but I just wanted everything to go smoothly.

Eventually, tiredness got the best of me and I went upstairs to get some sleep. Our bed was cold. Nobody had slept there in over a week and I hated how vacant it felt to be in it alone. I just hoped it was not too late to work things out.

* * *

 **[EPOV]**

Bella didn't return that night and I didn't know how to feel about that. Part of me knew I'd told her I wanted to be alone, but the other part was just angry and disappointed she didn't insist. I knew Bella wasn't one to do that and it was silly of me to expect that, but I couldn't control how I felt.

The next morning, Dr. Lang told me I would be discharged that day. The headache was mostly gone, but I still had to have the cast removed and loads of physical therapy sessions to attend to in order to make my leg all better.

I thought my dad would be the one to take me home, but when I least expected it, Bella came in carrying Austin and Sky in her arms.

"Look who's coming home today!" she seemed to be in a good mood, so it made me feel a little less anxious. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." I shrugged.

"Good."

We were silent for the rest of the time. Sky was asleep in Bella's arms and seemed to be exhausted from crying all day. Bella told me she was having a hard time teething and once again I was sorry I wasn't home to take care of her all those days.

Austin was sitting with me on the bed, playing with a bright colored plush dice that made a little sound when he shook it. Just like any other baby, he loved it. Austin had grown up so much and looked like such a healthy, loved baby. I'm sure Bella's presence in his life was the best thing to happen.

Dr. Lang finally cleared me to go home. My dad helped me with the crutches and I got inside Bella's car. I hated that navy blue Mercedes sedan she owned with a passion. It was too small for my taste and I just liked Volvos better. I would have to buy a new one for me and make her sell that car of hers.

If we decided to stay together, that is.

We drove in silence. Bella didn't seem to be mad or anything like that. Just being out of the hospital already made me feel better and my mood softened a little. When we got home, I noticed Bella had cleared a lot of space. There were also a few bedding elements neatly folded on an armchair. She noticed I was looking at them with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, in case you don't want to go up the stairs to sleep. But if you want to, everything's set in… our room, too."

She blushed hard at the mention of our bedroom, so I figured things were still weird between us.

"Okay. Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you."

"Sure."

She turned around and went into the kitchen. Sky was now awake and I had her in my arms, but she still seemed uncomfortable. Austin was sitting on the floor playing with his dice. When Bella returned, he got up slowly and stood on his feet, a little wobbly, of course, and then raised his arms to her.

"Ma-ma."

The message was clear. He wanted his mom to pick him up. And the mom was Bella. She did, and we exchanged a glance.

"Since when?" I asked, surprised. Of course he would know Bella as his mother, but actually seeing it happen touched my heart.

"A few days ago." she blushed lightly and I smiled, but we didn't say much.

Emmett, Rose and the kids paid me a visit, which I appreciated a lot. We'd all grown much closer, especially since Bella and I decided to have Skylar, and they were of great help with the kids those few days. When they were leaving, I thanked them for everything, to which Rosalie replied,

"We're family, Edward. That's what we're here for."

And it was true. We were a family, indeed, and I didn't want that to change.

Seth was ecstatic to see me, and the feeling was mutual. His hair had grown back and he had gained almost all his old weight back. Dr. Smithers was very satisfied at how good he was doing. I guess those bad days were behind us now.

He told me in detail about his school and new friends. I was so happy to see his eyes so bright and how excited he was. To think that less than a year before the odds that he was going to make it were so low, and seeing that he made it made me emotional. I didn't realize I had tears in my eyes until he asked me what was it.

"I'm just happy we're all home, that's all."

He smiled and gave me a tight hug.

"I love you, dad."

I would never, ever get tired of hearing that.

"I love you too, son."

* * *

A few hours later, the kids were already in bed and I'd already taken a shower in the bathroom downstairs. I promised to myself that when I got the stupid cast removed, I would take an hour-long bath.

I decided to sleep on the extendable sofa. Bella helped me with the bedding and it was very comfortable. It was a huge sofa. Three adults could comfortably sleep in it, so I figured it would be easier to just stay downstairs than trying to go upstairs and probably injure myself in the process.

"Okay, do you need anything else?" I was already laying down and she helped me move my leg to a comfortable position.

"No, it's perfect. Thank you, Bella."

She nodded and went upstairs. We were not hostile towards each other, but something was just not right. After more than forty minutes of trying to sleep but to no avail, I decided to text her. Hopefully she was still awake as well.

" _Are you awake?"_

The reply came faster than I thought.

" _Yes"_

Before I could think it was a bad idea, my fingers typed in,

" _Can you come downstairs?"_

In no time she was there. Her hair was down and she wore one of my t-shirts. Now, my leg was broken, but the rest was working perfectly fine, if you know what I mean, and I had to take a second to recompose myself before replying to her question.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. I just thought you could… I don't know. Do you mind spending the night here?"

I couldn't read her expression, but she nodded and wasted no time getting under the blankets, since it was a cold night.

"Thank you."

She just nodded back and I closed the distance between our bodies, putting an arm around her and kissing her forehead.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night."

Gathering all my courage, I said,

"I love you."

Bella froze in my arms. Then, she lifted her head to look into my eyes.

"I love you too." she said in a whisper. I softly kissed her lips, like any other night. In a few minutes, I heard her breathing slow down against my chest, which meant she was peacefully asleep.

* * *

The next day was a Saturday. Bella was already awake when I opened my eyes. Judging by the dim light coming from the windows, it was pretty early in the morning.

"Hey. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Sky was crying, but she's back to sleep now."

"Oh. Okay."

We were in silence, but Bella's eyes were wide open and I knew she wouldn't go back to sleep anytime soon.

"What is it, Bella?"

Then, in a swift motion, she sat on the couch and looked straight into my eyes.

"Edward, we need to talk."

I sighed. Okay, this was it.

"Yeah. Yeah, we do."

 **[A/N: About time!]**


	25. Chapter 24

**[A/N: Hi, there! Sooo... here it is! The last chapter of our journey! Just so you know, I had a BLAST writing and publishing this story! Your reviews have warmed my heart and made me really happy! I appreciate each and everyone of you who've put my story on alerts/favs, reccd and reviewed it! I hope you like this chapter! Epilogue's coming up this weekend!]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight!**

* * *

[EPOV]

We stared at each other in silence. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but at the same time, I couldn't find the words. So I sat up as best as I could and took a deep breath.

"Do you wanna start?"

She nodded and crossed her legs in front of her chest.

"You know, when we first met, and all through those few weeks we spent together, I really thought that maybe things would work out. I mean, you were… are… definitely my type, I already knew your family, we got along perfectly well… and you and I just hit it off. I wasn't looking for a relationship, but maybe something good would come out of it.

"When I found out I was pregnant with Seth, I have to be honest, Edward, I wasn't expecting you to react the way you did. I get it, we didn't know each other that well, but it really hurt my feelings. It didn't get any better when you told me you were going out with Tanya and it wasn't casual. Like there was some kind of… distinction between us. Like she actually deserved the serious commitment and I didn't."

I remembered saying that. That wasn't really what I meant. I guess I wanted to take a jab at Bella, to a certain extent, but I never thought she was not worthy of a serious commitment. Not for one second. I opened my mouth to tell her, but she raised a hand and I shut up.

"Back then, I would never waste any time on… this. On you. Us. You wanted to be with her, you wanted to think of me as a casual fling gone wrong, fine. As long as you were there for Seth, I was fine with it. So I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind. I married Jacob, at first everything was great. You and I had both moved on. I was making plans. I mean, I married him for a reason. And then… Seth got sick. And Jacob could not understand what I was going through. I know he tried, at least at first. The only person who felt exactly the same as I did was you. Then Tanya pulled that ridiculous crap when she turned off your phone. It was so scary, Edward. I was totally positive our son was going to die and you wouldn't be there for him. You wouldn't be there with me."

She wiped a few tears and I wanted to hold her, but my stupid leg didn't allow me to move fast enough. Bella took a deep breath and resumed talking.

"My marriage started falling apart. I guess what Jacob and I felt for each other wasn't strong enough to hold us together through what was going on. Or maybe what I felt for him wasn't enough to add him into the equation at that time of my life. I don't know. It wasn't Seth's illness that drove us apart, it just exposed the cracks that had always been there. My parents still don't get it, and I don't want to explain it anymore.

"Being pregnant with Skylar was a bittersweet experience. Of course I would stop at nothing to make Seth better, but at the same time, it just felt weird. Took me a while to bond with her during pregnancy, because I was so scared it wouldn't work out. And Tanya was pregnant, then I found out about Jacob being with her… then she died. In the middle of all of this, you were always there with me. For me. Those feelings and thoughts I pushed away so many years before came back, and it was confusing, to say the least. So, yeah. Next thing I know, we're living together, raising three kids. Everything turned out fine, but I was still scared that something bad would happen, or that you would hurt me again. At the same time, I felt guilty for being so grim about it. I was just confused. That's why I thought I needed some time to think. I was all over the place. Then, the accident happened. Em made me see a therapist. Things fell back into perspective for me, and I know what I want. I just need to know if we're on the same page, and I gotta tell you, sometimes I have no idea. Things have been a little messed up lately, I get that, but it's time for us to set things straight. I can't live with the uncertainty anymore."

She bit her lip briefly and I could tell she was afraid of what I was going to say. Even I didn't know where to start. Taking a deep breath and running a hand through my hair, I decided to start from the beginning.

"You know, I've always had it easy. Growing up, my parents always gave me and Alice everything we could ever ask for. My relationships before I met you had always been uncomplicated. The two girls I dated before you never had high expectations for me, and when they wanted something more, we just broke up, which never bothered me. Like I said at that time, I was happily single. I'd never thought of really settling down or anything like that. When I met you, that notion was challenged, and I'm not saying that just because we're together now. I never got along so well with anyone in my entire life, Bella. There was room for more. In those three weeks, I really thought that if I were to ever settle down with anyone, it'd better be you." Not even Alice knew that. I'd never admitted those thoughts to anyone, not even myself.

"And I have to say, had things been different, had I stayed a little longer or had we lived in the same town, I'm pretty sure we would have started a serious, committed relationship back then. The thing is, we had an expiration date set from the very beginning. That gave us a sense of something temporary. I went back to Seattle, went on with my life, I guess you did too, and we became friends. I thought of you often, I'm not going to lie, I wanted to come and see you again pretty soon. But then, you called me to say you were pregnant and I lost it. I'd never been responsible for anything or anyone in my entire life. We barely even knew each other. I would never ask you to have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption, but it made me so scared. I would have to move to Port Angeles, since there was no way I'd be away from my kid. And… I would have a child. That's the biggest commitment anyone can have. I didn't know how to handle it and was a jerk to you. I'll never apologize enough for that. Seth was the greatest thing to ever happen to me.

"I could definitely understand why you were so angry with me, but instead of trying to change that, I decided to leave you alone and focus on being a good father. I had around seven months to grow a pair and become the man I wanted my son to be proud of. Back then, being friends with you was way more important than trying to make a romantic move.

"When I met Tanya… it was funny, because I definitely did not fall in love with her at first. She was a good neighbor, a good friend. I was comfortable around her. Since we saw each other pretty much everyday, I always had a good time and was attracted to her, I asked her out. We started dating, and it was a nice, comfortable routine. I didn't see myself breaking up with her. We got along perfectly fine, she was very understanding about the whole situation, so we were good. I could settle for good. I could even say I fell in love with her at some point, that's why I proposed. The fact that you were getting married also pushed me in that direction, but I'm not proud to admit that, because it means that deep down, I still had hopes for us, and it was not fair on Tanya. But well, I made our relationship work. I gave my best. She moved in, we would get married and everything was good.

"Then, Seth got sick. I closed off. Tanya could not understand, my parents were helpless, and all I had was you to lean on. I couldn't sleep. Every time I saw him, he just got worse and worse. When he finally felt a little better and had a consistent week of no throwing up, no bleeding, Tanya arranged that trip to Seattle. I figured everything would be fine. That was the worst mistake I've ever made. When I finally got your messages, it was hard not to think the worst. From then on, I decided to never leave his side again. Those few months were rough. You miscarried one of the babies, then Tanya's death… and Austin was in critical condition. Everything happened, everything changed. The only thing that never changed was that we were always together, through it all. So when we finally got a break and started the romantic relationship we obviously always wanted, you can imagine my surprise when you told me you wanted to move out. I had… plans." it almost slipped me that I was going to propose, but that was not the ideal occasion to tell her.

"At the time, I was so hurt. So terribly hurt that I had no idea what was going through your head, frustrated with not being able to help you. And I have to confess, it made me second guess a lot of things. But then, when I was at the hospital and told you I wanted to be alone even though I didn't, I could understand you better. I didn't want you to leave, not really, yet I told you to go anyway.

"The thing is, I want us to stay together, Bella. And not just because we have three kids together, or because it is the next logical step. I believe we were given a second chance, and I want to take it. There's just no one else I imagine spending the rest of my life with. We had a rocky start, I know. Things have changed, I have too. And so have you. Bottom line is, I love you, Isabella Swan. And I think that's enough reason to give it a real try."

Her eyes stared deep into mine for a long minute. Then, her stance softened.

"You know… I've always been all rational when it comes to this kind of stuff, but I just want to follow my heart this time around. We've wasted too much time already." her lips formed a shy smile, and I pulled her close to me.

"I love you, Bella. And I can't wait to start the rest of my life with you, for real this time."

"I love you, too."

Carefully, she straddled me and we kissed. No hesitation, no lingering uncertainty. We were finally together. I grabbed her waist and her fingers pulled on my hair. I really wanted to go all the way, but my leg was starting to bother me, and she realized it.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. We'll make up for lost time real soon."

She gave me a light peck on the lips and laid down next to me. I briefly wondered if it was too soon to give her the ring, which still sat in my suitcase, untouched. Then, I decided that it was not necessary. Not then. We could just enjoy what we were living and think about formalities later. What mattered is that we finally saw each other clearly.

Everything was fine.

* * *

[BPOV]

Three months later

I thought that being in a relationship with Edward would not change things, but I was wrong. We'd never been so carefree around each other. It also felt like we were still living a honeymoon period, which I didn't think would be possible, since our lives were pretty much settled and busy. But well, I'd never felt that way about anyone. Being with Edward made me realize that, when it came to my love life, everything happened as it was supposed to happen. I was at peace. And very happy.

We were back to our full time jobs. Edward was working his ass off at the law firm, and I was making up for lost time at the publishing house. Angela was on maternity leave, so Ali and I were very busy.

It was good to be around her everyday again. Ali's presence was very refreshing, and even though my routine was exhausting, she made everything easy. Rose's online business was thriving, and Carlisle decided he would retire soon to be around his grandkids more often.

Seth was back to school, and we still saw Dr. Smithers pretty often, just to make sure everything was okay. Skylar and Austin were growing up way too fast for my taste, and she already stood up on her own. As for him, we'd just had a birthday party a few days before. Austin definitely deserved to be celebrated as the miracle baby he was.

At the end of that week, Ali and Jasper showed up at our house with the kids for a playdate. Em and Rose were there with Riley and Lily, too. The children had an amazing time. When Seth was sick, there were days when I thought I would never see him playing with his cousins again. Having my son home with me was something I would never take for granted.

* * *

I'd just put Skylar and Austin to bed and was getting downstairs when I heard Alice and Edward talking in the kitchen.

"...that ring's been sitting in your nightstand for months now!"

What?

"I know, Alice, I just don't know if the timing's right."

"Well, what's going to change? You're pretty much married already, just put a damn ring on her finger!"

I descended the rest of the stairs, making unnecessary noise so they would know I was around. As I walked into the kitchen, they looked surprised.

"Hey. What are you guys talking about?"

"I'm leaving." Ali replied, too quickly to sound natural "It's way past kids' bedtime."

We hugged and she turned to Edward.

"You message me if anything changes." they hugged and she left.

I furrowed my brow at Edward.

"What's she talking about?"

He just shook his head.

"Nothing." before I could reply, Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me.

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

While he washed the dishes, I took Seth upstairs to take a shower. As I made his bed, the conversation I'd accidentally overheard echoed in my head. I had no idea that Edward had bought me a ring. He never even mentioned it. Was he having second thoughts? What did he mean when he said he didn't know if the timing was right?

Seth crawled into bed, looking tired but also blissfully happy.

"Did you have a good day, honey?"

"The best!" he replied with a big yawn.

"Great. Sleep tight. Love you." I kissed his forehead and left his bedroom.

* * *

After a long shower, I walked out of the bathroom and Edward was sitting on our bed, looking expectant.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." he looked nervous, running a hand through his hair. I opened my mouth to tell him I'd overheard his conversation with Ali, but he was faster.

"Bella…"

"Yes?"

"I have to talk to you."

At that moment, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't want him to propose just because I might've heard him talking to his sister. Or worse, what if he realized he didn't want to be with me any longer? Of course, those were both ridiculous assumptions. We were doing great. But well… I didn't want to raise expectations too high.

"Sure." I sat next to him, trying not to look like I was internally freaking out.

"So… I have something to tell you. Last year, just a little before Christmas, I bought you a ring. I was going to propose." he risked a glance at me, but didn't wait for me to answer. "Of course I had to postpone those plans a little. And then, after I came back home from the hospital and we decided to give it a try, I've been waiting for the right time. Initially, I thought I'd wait a little longer… but there's no such thing as the right occasion. I've never been happier, Bella. I've wanted to marry you for a long time now, and it's time we act on it. If you also want to, that is."

Edward looked at me expectantly and I smiled.

"Are you proposing?"

We both burst out laughing.

"I guess I am. But wait. I have to do this the right way."

He got up from bed and grabbed a small velvety box from his nightstand. Next thing I know, he kneels before me. My face started burning.

"Isabella Marie Swan… will you marry me?"

I smiled.

"Let me think…" his expression froze for a split second and I smiled. "Of course the answer is yes."

He got up and slid a gorgeous ring on my finger. Edward knew me like the back of his hand. It was perfect.

"I love it. I love you!"

He grabbed me by the waist and kissed me lovingly.

"I was really scared, you know. Now I see this was the only possible outcome. We're meant to be." he said while tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well, we should thank Alice for an eye-opening conversation." I said playfully.

"Did you hear that?"

"Just the end of it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

"Nah, it's okay. That's not why I proposed, though. She just encouraged me to get my head out of my ass, but I was already planning on it anyway."

I kissed him again, letting my towel 'accidentally' fall.

"Okay, I believe we have something to celebrate."

I didn't need to say it twice. As Edward pulled me into bed with him, I knew I was just where I wanted to be. Obviously, life's not a fairytale, but I had a life partner. Someone to share everything with. We'd come a long way, grown so much, and I definitely wouldn't have made it without his help and love. Edward motivated and lifted me up.

Like helium.

 **[A/N: Yay! Yeah, I'm a sucker for HEA. I have to be honest with you, when I first started writing this story, the idea was that Seth was not going to make it. But I couldn't! I grew attached to him. And also, working at a hospital, I've seen some pretty awful things, but have also witnessed beautiful stories of patients overcoming bad diseases, and decided that it would be Seth's case. This is a story about growth, family and love. Thank you soooo much for each and everyone of you who've been with me through the last fourteen months! Epilogue's ready and should be uploaded in about two days! See you! :) ]**


	26. Epilogue

**[A/N: Okaay! Here we have the epilogue! I'd imagined it since when I first started writing this story, and it turned out to be exactly how I expected. Thank you SO MUCH for joining me on this journey! Every review, fav, follow, recc made my little heart soar! You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy the end of our ride!]**

[BPOV]

"Do you need help?" I asked Lily, looking over her shoulder at whatever she was doing.

"No!" she playfully rolled her eyes at me. "I'm fine! Just enjoy the party and leave the rest to me!"

Lily had grown into a beautiful young woman, the spitting image of her mom. We were all gathered at my house to celebrate that she and Seth were going away to college. Lily was going to Paris to become a chef, and Seth was accepted into Dartmouth. Pretty big deal. He wanted to become a doctor and we couldn't be any prouder, especially Carlisle, since neither Alice nor Edward followed in his footsteps.

I walked back into the living room, where Seth was typing away at his phone. At nineteen, he looked exactly like Edward, except for the brown hair. Even though he still saw the doctor from time to time, he had been in good health for a long time now.

I hugged him by the shoulders and he smiled at me.

"I'm going to miss you so much, honey."

"Yeah, me too. But I'm really excited as well."

"You should be! It's going to be great. And you promise me you're gonna come home every chance you get."

"Of course, Mom. And we're going to facetime every night." he kissed my cheek and the doorbell rang. Riley was there, smiling at me. He was a student at Stanford, since he wanted to become a lawyer and work with Jasper and Edward.

"Hey, Riley!"

"Aunt Bella!" we exchanged a hug, and while he did look a lot like Rose's family, something in his face reminded me of Em when he was younger.

"Come on in. Your sister's making us lunch and your parents are in the dining room."

* * *

Eleven years had passed since Edward proposed to me. He and I didn't want a lavish wedding, but Esme and Alice arranged a small ceremony six months later. I have to say, it was absolutely perfect. They did an excellent job. Seth was our ring bearer, and I know he hated the task, but it was great anyway.

Ten months later, I found out I was pregnant. We weren't really expecting, but it's not like we were avoiding it, either, so we were pretty happy. But at ten weeks, I had a miscarriage. It was pretty rough on everybody, and having to be in the hospital again felt like a nightmare. But having my husband and kids near me in perfect health made it much easier to cope. Anyhow, a few months later, Edward and I decided that three was enough and didn't want to risk losing another baby, so he had a vasectomy.

He was still walking funny after the procedure when I took a urine test and two very strong pink lines appeared. I was five weeks pregnant again. At first, I got desperate, because I was sure it wouldn't end well. But he calmed me down and went with me on an appointment with my OB-GYN. She put me on bedrest until the 12-week mark, since I had a history of miscarriages. Even though I was pretty scared, I had a smooth, uncomplicated pregnancy, and after six short hours in labor, Amelia Caroline Cullen was born. She went by Amy most of the time, and looked exactly like me for a change.

Along the years, a lot of things changed. Carlisle and Esme retired and sold the house. Now they lived in a fancy penthouse just a few minutes away. My parents kept their promise and moved to Port Angeles as well. We got along much better these days, but we definitely weren't as close as before. And everyone seemed fine with it.

Rose and Emmett expanded their online business and opened a small bookstore near their house. They made a nice living off of it. As for the publishing house, Ali and I expanded it so much, we had to hire a whole new staff. Angela was our partner and it all worked pretty great.

I published two books. They were still not best-sellers, but I was very happy at the good reviews it got.

Kate and Garrett got married eventually and had a beautiful baby girl named Tina. She was around often, and we all became great friends. As Austin grew up, we told him about his biological mother and what happened to her. Of course we left some details out to be told when he was older, but he knew who she was. In his own words, he was lucky to have two moms, one in Heaven and one with him. He was a very sweet kid, joined at the hip with Skylar.

Sky was a very questioning kid. She once asked me if she would have been born at all had Seth not been sick with leukemia. That question caught me off guard, but Edward helped me answer it. He told her that we had always loved each other and would end up getting back together and having her anyway, Seth being sick only sped things up. And it was true.

Amy was the youngest granddaughter to both sets of grandparents, so they spoiled her rotten. She also was a welcome addition to our family, consolidating the fact that the bad days were definitely behind us.

Of course, we still faced hardships. Edward had spent the last ten years working his ass off. Aside from the Seattle and the Port Angeles branches of the law firm, they also opened one in Portland and another one in San Francisco, so he traveled often. Thank goodness the staff they hired was already well trained and Edward didn't have to be away so much anymore. We never had time to make a decent honeymoon trip and I wanted to act on it as soon as possible.

* * *

Later that day, everyone went to the airport to bid Lily, Riley and Seth goodbye. I was a nervous wreck. It was impossible not to think back on the days my son was in a hospital bed, thanking God for every single day he made through. Now he had grown into a gorgeous young man, about to fulfill a big dream. We definitely had come a very long way.

"Bye, baby. I love you. Take care." I said as I hugged my son tight, fat tears streaming down my face.

"Mom, stop crying." he kissed my forehead, since now he towered over me, and wiped my tears. "I'm gonna be fine. There are still three other kids to keep you busy." he smiled.

"Yeah, I know. Call me as soon as you get there. Okay? And stay away from drugs!"

He playfully rolled his eyes and went on to give Edward a hug.

"Take care, son. We love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

He knelt next to Sky and Austin.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you two. I'll come back home as soon as I can, okay?"

Sky looked like she was about to cry, but being the stubborn, proud 12 year-old she was, tried not to let it show. Austin smiled and hugged his big brother.

Seth moved on to say goodbye to Amy next.

"Bye, baby."

She wrapped her legs around his torso and didn't want to let go.

"Don't go!"

"Oh, Amy. I'll be back before you know it." he kissed her forehead and put her back to her feet again. She was rubbing her eyes and Edward pulled her close in a comforting hug.

Seth proceeded to say goodbye to Carlisle and Esme and I noticed Rosalie's face was red from crying, but Em was fine.

"How can you be so insensitive?" I asked him.

"What? It's not the first time I send a child away to college. Besides, Lily will be fine, she's a tough girl. And I have to be honest, having the house all to ourselves doesn't sound so bad."

I chuckled, because I knew Em would miss her a lot. Lily was definitely daddy's little girl.

After Lily and Seth went on to catch their respective flights, we all left. I said goodbye to my parents, Rose and Em. Carlisle and Esme hugged me tightly.

"He'll be fine, Bella. Dartmouth better be ready to have him."

"Yeah, I know." I said, wiping one last tear.

They said goodbye and I noticed Edward speaking to Ali and Jas a few feet away from me. Skylar had asked us to have a sleepover at their house with Elise and Natalie. Then, Arthur invited Austin to play a new computer game with him. Since it was not a school night, Ali agreed.

"Are you ready to go home?" Edward asked me.

"Yes, please."

Ali hugged me tightly again.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said and she smiled in return.

"Yeah… sure." something about her tone sounded off, but I didn't give it much thought.

We drove back home and Edward helped me clean up the remains of the gathering. The house sounded awfully silent with just Edward and me in it.

"Seth's gonna be fine, right?" I asked for the fifth time. Edward sighed, but gave me an understanding smile.

"Bella, Seth survived leukemia. He had to be practically alone in isolation for weeks. Now he went to Dartmouth to do something he loves. Of course he'll be fine."

I nodded.

"Also… I have something for you."

He went to the living room and grabbed something from a drawer.

"What is this?" he gave me two slips of paper.

"Airplane tickets. We're going to Australia tomorrow."

I stared at him agape. That was my dream trip. I made arrangements to go twenty years before, but then I got pregnant with Seth and it became a distant plan.

"What? What about… work? The kids? Our luggage?"

"It's all taken care of. Alice, Jasper and my parents are taking a break as well. They're all going to Disneyland. And before you ask, I paid for their tickets and everything else."

"Edward, I didn't even say goodbye to them!"

"They know I wanted to make a surprise for you, baby. Don't worry. They're going to have a great time and so are we."

I closed the distance between us and gave him a kiss. Nothing could describe how much I loved that man. He made my dreams come true everyday.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella. Always have. Now, we should head to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"I don't feel like sleeping." It was not everyday we had that whole ginormous house to ourselves.

"Nobody said anything about sleeping."

Edward kissed me and pulled me in the direction of our bedroom.

Everything was in the right place.

* * *

 **[A/N: The end! I'm so happy to finally mark this story as complete! Don't forget to review and thank you for reading! I'm currently working on a new story and will be uploading it soon! Stay tuned! :) ]**


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